


Five Minutes More

by laurensian



Series: Five Minutes More [1]
Category: Harry Styles - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-22
Updated: 2019-08-22
Packaged: 2020-09-24 07:53:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 66,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20354983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laurensian/pseuds/laurensian
Summary: When you meet the love of your life only to be separated by war and all you want…is five minutes more.





	1. Part I

**April 18th, 1939   
**

When Alex had knocked on the home of the Azoff’s that unseasonably warm April afternoon, he hadn’t expected a young girl around his age to open it. Her hair was tied up out of her face and she had red lipstick painted perfectly over her lips. She wore a pair of grey trousers that seemed to have been tailored to her legs flawlessly with the seams ending just above her black heels which were tied at the top of her feet, and a black belt at the waist to keep them up. Her top half was covered in a loose-fitting white shirt that had been tucked in, with the first three buttons unfastened and the sleeves rolled up a couple of times so that she could be comfortable. 

Something about her entranced him. Maybe it was the way her eyes sparkled in the sun which still sat high in the sky above them. Maybe it was her smile which instantly warmed him or the way she tried to straighten her shirt and brush down her trousers. Maybe it was the way she seemed so approachable. Whatever it was, he suddenly felt like he needed to know her.

Just the sight of her was enough for his heart to start beating ten times faster than normal, and for a second he forgot that he was holding a ceramic bowl of leftover roast dinner that his mother had made and asked him to take around on his way back to his own home. Though when he heard Y/N clear her throat quietly, he blinked rapidly and turned his attention back to her. 

“You aren’t Jeffrey.” He eyed her body before looking back at her with his lips rolled into his mouth yet still tilted at the corners. 

She smiled back at him, feeling rather flustered by the way the man in front of her whom she had never met. “I’m not, no. I’m Y/N.” 

Y/N, it suited her. 

“It’s lovely to meet you, Y/N. I’m Alex.” He went to push his right hand out for her to shake before remembering that he was carrying a rather heavy tray of food that he would prefer not to drop onto the pathway. “I would shake your hand, but that’s a little difficult what with holding this tray of food from my mother.” 

Y/N’s eyes widened and she silently berated herself for not offering to let him in sooner. “Oh-uhh, come on in. Please.” 

Y/N stood back so that he could walk into the house, using her foot to keep the door open. Once he was within the threshold and Y/N could be sure the door wouldn’t hit him when it closed, she moved her foot and skillfully manoeuvred her way into the living room where Jack and Peter were playing with their toy cars on the rug in front of the fire that was burning to heat the home. 

“I should have been expecting you, actually.” Alex turned his body around slightly so he could look at her, the confusion probably evident on his features. “Before Glenne left…she told me that Florence would probably send her son around with food for dinner.” 

Alex walked straight through the house and to the kitchen which sat just off the living room to the left. He placed the heavy pot on the side before turning around just in time to see Y/N turning the kettle on. 

“Yeah, my mother tends to make extra roast and makes me bring it for the family,” Alex spoke delicately, peering his head around the door to find the boys still playing with the cars that he had bought for them the previous year. 

“Tea?” The question caught him off guard, though he nodded with a smile anyway, thanking her quietly before leaning his body against the doorframe. “How do you take it?” 

“As it comes so no milk or sugar, thank you.” Y/N offered him a smile before moving around the kitchen to get the teacups and other little bits she would need to make their tea. “Do you know what time Jeff will be back?” 

It took Y/N a few seconds to reply, her attention solely on putting the casserole dish filled with roast dinner in the oven to heat up a little more before she could serve it to the boys. When she was satisfied that the oven door wouldn’t open, she turned to Alex with that welcoming smile. The one that sent the butterflies in his tummy into a frenzy. 

“They left for their date night only thirty minutes ago so they won’t be back for a few hours. Is there a message you’d like to leave for them?” Her voice was soft, dainty even. Alex found himself staring at her lips as she spoke to him, his blinking becoming slower as he got lost in the way her lips moved so effortlessly around the words that were leaving them. 

“Um…um no I’ll call him tonight before I go to bed. I know he doesn’t sleep until late as he likes to continuously check on the boys. I’ll stay and drink this tea though.” She nodded at him, turning around so he wouldn’t be able to see her compose herself.

He was handsome, that was obvious. He stood tall and confidently in his tortoiseshell looking trousers that stopped above his own black shoes-which were polished to perfection. His trousers were held up on his waist with a black belt a lot like her own. His shirt was crisp white and was fastened all the way to the top, held at his neck with a red tie that sat under his brown sweater vest. The vest looked as though it would be soft under the touch, and Y/N found herself closing her eyes and picturing her hands gliding down it, bunching at the bottom and pulling it up and off of his body. 

Alex sneezed loudly into his handkerchief and pulled Y/N from her thoughts. 

“It-it won’t be a minute so you can go and get yourself comfortable in the living room…if you’d like.” He noticed how she had gotten two teacups from the cupboard above her head, the heels of her feet lifting off the ground to give her more height and her right arm stretched out as far as it could go. “But then again, unless you want to be bombarded with those two-who haven’t eaten dinner yet so will be getting grouchy-you could stay in here.” 

“I think I’ll stay in the safety of the kitchen.” They both chuckled and as Y/N turned to face him, she pulled her shirt down her body properly and straightened her shoulders again, not having noticed the way Alex had already been looking at the bottom of her back which had been exposed to him. Her skin looked soft and well taken care of and he wondered what it would be like to let his hands hold it in bed. 

“Good choice.” Another laugh left her and Alex gulped. He’d never heard a laugh like it in his 19 years on the earth. It was the kind of laugh that was so joyous it became infectious, your soul smiling along with it. The kind of laugh that radiated nothing but sheer happiness, stealing your breath and leaving you unable to do anything but listen to it. It was like music to his ears, and he swore that he would never tire of hearing it. “Did you eat already? I’m sure there’s going to be too much food in the pot for the three of us so you could always join us if you’d like.” 

“I have. Thank you for the offer though, it’s really lovely.” Y/N smiled as he handed him his tea, being extra careful not to spill any over him. “Thank you for the tea, also. It’s nice to have something warm in me before I walk home.” He was truly grateful, knowing that he would grow chilly when he left the house as he had forgotten to take a coat out with him when he left his house that morning. And living in a seaside town meant that even if the sun was out, it was probably cold after it hit five pm. Even though it was unseasonably warm, it wasn’t anywhere near warm enough to be walking around without a coat when the sun started to set. 

“You are more than welcome. It’s nice to have some company that isn’t in the form of two 5-year-olds, you know?” Alex nodded knowingly, for he’d sat with the boys on numerous occasions when they were slightly younger while their parents had their weekly date night. “Don’t get me wrong, I love them both as though they were my little brothers. But they can be little terrors sometimes.” 

Y/N found herself breathing yet another laugh, her eyes landing on the two little boys who were still happily playing with their toys. She found herself thinking about what life would be like when she had children of her own and wasn’t getting paid to look after them. She wondered what her husband would be working as, what his hours would be like at work, and if they would have to get a childminder so they could go on a weekly date night. A small cough by Alex pulled her out of her thoughts, and it was then that she truly saw the situation that surrounded her. 

She was stood just inside the living room with her hands cradling her cup of tea while she watched the young boys interacting with one another in front of her. Alex stood just behind her and leaned upon the door frame that led to the kitchen, his tea in his left hand and his eyes trained on her. It dawned on her that if anyone were to see them all at that moment, they would look like a family. Y/N had to shake her head to rid herself of her thoughts and she happened to catch Alex eyeing her suspiciously. 

“Everything alright?” 

“Hmm, I’m just going to go and check on the dinner. I’ll be right back.” She squeezed through the gap between Alex and the doorframe, her front brushing against his as she did and her eyes landing at the base of his throat, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he gulped. She allowed her eyes to fall closed for a fraction of a second before opening them so that she could see her way around the kitchen in front of her. 

When it was time for Alex to head off home, Y/N held the front door open for him once more. The sound of his shoes on the stone pathway could be heard from inside the house and Y/N felt her heart pound with each step that he took away from her. She instantly felt deflated when he got to the bottom of the path even though she’d known the man for a mere thirty minutes. 

“I’ll be seeing you, Y/N.” He held his hand up in a small wave before closing the gate behind him. 

“Be seeing you, Alex.” She stayed at the door until he was out of sight. Only then did she take a step back and close the door, letting out a long exhale as she did. 

There was something about Alex that drew her in. She didn’t know what it was. Maybe it was the way his eyes sparkled in the light of the fire which still burned near them. Maybe it was his smile which instantly warmed her or the way he tried to straighten his posture and brush down his trousers once he had put the dish down in the kitchen. Maybe it was the way he seemed so approachable. Whatever it was, she suddenly felt like she needed to know him.

She turned to the boys who were still sat on the floor, clapping her hands once to get their attention, “who’s hungry?” 

**April 19th, 1939 **

He had to see her again. He couldn’t _not_ see her again. She had really done a number on him and he spent the rest of the day prior with her in his head. It was though there was a magnet between them, pulling them together by a force far greater than either of them could explain. It was a Wednesday and he knew that both Jeff and Glenne were working that day. Mainly as he worked with Jeff as an engineer and Glenne rarely got a day off to herself. With them both working, he was sure that they would have gotten a sitter to look after the boys for the day and he was pretty certain that the person would be an angelic girl around his age who made a mean cup of tea. So, he decided that he would take a walk to the beach, stopping off at their house first to see if he could see her even for a minute.

Y/N heard three knocks at the door and stood up from her crouched position next to the oven, closing the door to it and turning it off completely before heading to the front door to answer it. She didn’t know who she was expecting to see, but she wasn’t expecting to see Alex stood there with his hand in his hair. 

“Hello again.” Her words were forced through a smile, and Alex suddenly became very aware that he had no idea what he was going to tell her. 

“Hello. Is…Jeffrey in?” _Shit, Alex, think of something to say! _“I…left a letter on his desk the other day and I kinda need it back.”

“Oh…um he’s at work until seven this evening.” Alex nodded knowingly. He was well aware that Jeff was working that night. “You can come in and look for the letter though…if you’d like?” 

“I wouldn’t want to intrude.” Y/N took a step back, pushing the door open more as she smiled at Alex softly. 

“You wouldn’t be at all!” She protested, “I’m just about to plate dinner for the boys so feel free to head through to the office to look for it.” 

Alex walked into the house behind Y/N and made sure to close the door fully before he kicked his shoes off so he wasn’t trailing dirt throughout the house. He walked straight through to the study while Y/N walked to the kitchen so that she could plate dinner up for the young boys who had just finished washing their hands. The office was as tidy as ever, Jeff’s desk sitting tall on the far wall. There were two bookshelves at either side of it that held some books but also held a lot of trinkets that Jeff had collected over his years. The floor was dark and wooden and all footsteps could be heard, even when one had no shoes on. 

It wasn’t long before Y/N was standing in the doorway of the study, her right hand on her hip while she watched Alex spin on the desk chair mindlessly. “Found what you’re looking for?” 

She had clearly made him jump, for when he spun back around his left hand was cradling his heart and he was breathing a little heavier. He was smiling though, and Y/N caught a glimpse of the dimple that sat deep in his cheek. It was deep enough that she could probably set up her home in it and live comfortably. That was the first time that she’d really taken note of what his hair looked like. Perfectly swept to the right side of his head with a curl to it. The sides were shorter than the top but still long enough that should you run your hands through it you wouldn’t get scratched by it. It suited him. Perfectly. 

“I haven’t yet, no.” He started to shuffle through the multitude of papers which sat scattered across the dark oak desk. “I’m not entirely sure where Jeff would have put it.” 

Y/N walked over to the desk, placing her hands delicately upon it as she scanned the papers in front of her. Alex looked up and watched her start to move a couple and he started to panic. How would he explain to her that he hadn’t actually come to find a letter? He was only there so that he could see her again. Which is why he said nothing, let her help him look for the nonexistent letter that he’d lied about. _What a great way to get to know someone, lie to them the second time you’ve met them._ Alex was annoyed at himself, but he also enjoyed having the pretty girl in the study with him. 

He could smell her perfume, a floral scent that wafted through the air and into his nostrils which calmed him immensely. It still baffled him, how he could be so obsessed with someone he didn’t know, someone he’d only met the day before. 

“So…what does your husband do?” Alex asked, watching Y/N pick up a letter and check the name on it. “For a living, I mean.” 

“He umm…” she stopped herself, her brain reminding her that she was, in fact, very bloody single. “I’m-I’m not…married.” Her nerves got the better of her when Alex watched her reply, his lips rolling into his mouth as he nodded. 

“Oh really?” Y/N simply nodded, placing the letter in her hand down on the table and picking another one up, flicking the corner of it aimlessly. “Are you…dating?” 

She could feel her whole body heat up, somehow caught off guard by the question. Alex himself was shocked, for he’d never been so open about dating before. But there he was, stood in front of a beautiful girl whom he had only known for 24 hours, asking her if she was dating anyone. He wasn’t quite sure what he would do if she said that she was, and so when she shook her head, he found himself sighing in relief, his eyes widening when he had heard it. Y/N only laughed, licking her bottom lip before taking a deep breath. 

“Are you? Dating, I mean? Or married for that matter. I mean…you could be married and now I feel like an idiot for assuming that you’re not. It’s just you don’t have a wedding ring on and-” Alex cut her rambling short when she let out a cackle, vastly amused by the situation. 

“I’m not married. And I’m not dating, no.” 

“That’s good.” Her right hand moved to smack at her forehead, her face scrunching as she thought about what she’d said. “Not that you’re not in a relationship but like…oh, I don’t even know.” 

Alex laughed once more, debating on his next words. “It’s a shame, really. That someone as beautiful as you haven’t had your heart stolen by someone yet.”

“Could say the same to you. Someone as handsome as you without a wife? Seems ridiculously preposterous if you ask me.” 

Their conversation couldn’t go any further as Jack walked into the room and tugged at Y/N’s trouser leg in hopes of getting her attention. “Miss Y/N? Peter threw his food on the floor again.” Alex could see Y/N roll her eyes and she excused herself for a moment to check the situation in the kitchen. Lo and behold, Peter had indeed thrown his entire plate of beef stew over the tiled floor of the kitchen and Y/N only closed her eyes with a deflated sigh.

“For goodness sake, Peter. I would have thought that a big boy like yourself could eat his dinner without throwing it on the floor.” She bent down to take the plate and move the large bits of food onto it to make cleaning easier, throwing the wasted food in the bin before grabbing a cloth to clean the gravy that was running a little and getting stuck between the grout in the tiles. 

Alex walked into the kitchen just as she had bent down and he had to turn away to stop himself from staring at her bum which was being hugged in her grey trousers. “Boys? Let’s go upstairs and get you clean while Y/N cleans up down here.” 

“It’s _Miss_ Y/N, silly.” Y/N could be heard letting out a breathy laugh but Alex ignored it, shaking his head as he walked the boys through the house and toward the stairs.

“I’m sorry, let’s get you cleaned while Miss Y/N cleans up. Better?” 

“Much.” 

It didn’t take long for Y/N to finish cleaning up the mess in the kitchen. Less time than it had taken Alex to get the boys cleaned so she crept up the stairs to see what was taking so long. 

“Miss Y/N is very pretty, Alex.” The three boys were in the bathroom and Y/N could hear splashing water which meant that Alex was giving the boys a bath. _How thoughtful of him. _

“She’s very pretty. Do you like her?”

“We do! Are you gonna marry her?” Y/N couldn’t listen to the rest of the conversation, not wanting to intrude on what was a private conversation. So, she walked back down the stairs and boiled some water on the stove top so that she could make some tea for when Alex was finished with the boys though she couldn’t deny the butterflies that were swarming in her belly.

When the boys trotted back down the stairs, they were already in their pyjamas and Y/N did a silent prayer of thanks for she hated getting the boys ready for bed. Alex followed soon after, the sleeves of his shirt were rolled up to just below his elbows and his middle was a tiny bit damp from the water in the bath. 

“Thank you so much for sorting the boys out, would you like some tea?” 

“I would love some,” Y/N got ready to get up to make it, “but I really had better be going. It’s going to get dark soon.” She nodded in understanding, standing up and heading to the front door so she could say her goodbyes. 

“Thank you again, for bathing the boys. You really didn’t have to do that.” 

“Oh, it was literally nothing. You looked stressed enough having to clean the kitchen up.” Y/N gave him a small smile, not wanting to tell him that Peter had done the same thing with his food the past ten times she’d been sitting with them. “I don’t want to appear forward and I completely understand if you’d rather me not know but I’d love to get to know you more. Is there any chance I could get your address so that I can see you again?” 

Her heart fluttered at that, no boy ever having asked for her address before. Alex looked nervous, his hands clasped together at his front and his lip between his teeth. But he could be seen to visibly relax when she nodded to him. While she replied, he slipped his shoes back onto his feet. 

“I um…I actually live next door with my parents.” 

“The Williams’?” She shook her head, pointing to the house not joined on the Azoff’s. 

“No the Y/L/N’s.” 

“Oh right. Well, I’ll be seeing you soon, Y/N Y/L/N.” 

“Be seeing you, Alex.” 

**April 21st, 1939 **

She wouldn’t admit it to anyone but Y/N hadn’t stopped thinking about Alex since she had seen him two days prior. Whenever it was quiet she could hear his voice and if she closed her eyes, she could see his face perfectly. His eyes so green and his lips so pink. The image of him was ingrained in her head, the only thing she could think of being seeing him and talking to him again. 

She padded into the kitchen where her mum stood cooking dinner with a smile on her face constantly. Matilda Y/L/N stood a tiny little shorter than her daughter without her heels, and she was always seen in a pleated skirt and button up. Her hair was always rolled onto her head tightly and her lips were almost constantly red. Y/N had always loved her mother’s style and had even nabbed a few pieces of her wardrobe for herself. 

“Hello, baby. Everything okay?” 

“Hmm,” Y/N hummed, resting her elbows on the counter in the middle of the room and watching her mum cook. “Glenne just came around and asked if I could possibly watch the boys tomorrow as she has been called into work.” 

Her mum nodded, chopping the last of the carrots and placing them into the pan of water on the stove. “You’ve hardly had time to yourself lately with all the looking after the boys. And you haven’t been on many dates either.” She grabbed a potato and started to chop it, the skin already having been removed, “any reason for that?” 

Y/N was thankful her mum couldn’t see her face for the smile that appeared would give the game away too easily. “Well, you see…there’s this boy.” 

Matilda merely turned around in her place, the knife still in hand and her eyebrows raised higher than Y/N had seen them before. There was no way her mother wouldn’t be interested when she mentioned a boy, why wouldn’t she be? She loved her daughter and wanted to make sure that she was happy in life. 

“A boy, huh?” 

“Oh mum, if you saw him you would completely understand!” She could hardly contain her smile, the thought of Alex infiltrating her mind once more. 

“Tell me about him.” Her mum spoke. Those four simple words had Y/N’s heart pounding in her chest and her hands shaking from pure excitement. 

“Oh, he’s dreamy!” She leaned on the counter more, resting her chin on her hands. “He has this short, dark hair that has a kink at the ends which makes it look curly. His eyes are this striking green colour and they make it impossible to look anywhere else. Whenever he’s around you can’t help but stare at his eyes.” 

As she was describing Alex, she could hear the beginnings of _Sweet Little Headache_ by Benny Goodman playing from her father’s study. It was a song that she had loved since the first time she heard it and hearing it as she mentioned the boy she couldn’t stop thinking about made her smile that bit more. 

“He’s tall too! Not as tall as Daddy but still tall. And his voice…mum, his voice is so deep and handsome. He’s just an utter _dreamboat_!” 

Matilda smiled at her daughter who was smiling widely herself. Turning around to finish chopping the potatoes, she mumbled a soft, “I can’t wait to meet him, then.” 

Y/N smiled at her mum then turned towards the door when she heard a knock. She didn’t go to answer it though, knowing that her father would be on his way already for he made sure that he was the one to answer it always. Her father’s voice was the first thing she heard until she heard the voice. The voice she had been hearing in her head for over 24 hours. 

“Hello, sir. My name is Alex Harrison and I am a good friend of Jeffrey Azoff.” He sounded nervous, his voice wavering ever so slightly. “I met your daughter while she was minding the boys a few days ago and I am already very fond of her. Glenne has said nothing but the most amazing things about her and I must agree with them all.” Y/N felt her cheeks heat up at Alex’s words, her mum turning to her with a smirk. 

“Is that the boy?” She mouthed and watched as her daughter nodded, pulling her lips into her mouth to suppress a smile which failed miserably. “He sounds wonderful.” 

Y/N turned her attention back to the conversation happening meters away from her just in time to hear Alex stutter something to her father. 

“You want to take my daughter on a date?” Her father questioned, needing to make sure he heard the young man at the door correctly. 

“Yes, sir. It would be my honour.” 

“Well, it isn’t me you should be asking really. I’m not the one that would be going on this date with you.” 

Y/N peered out of the kitchen and caught sight of Alex, his eyes finding hers immediately and his smile appearing within seconds. She mouthed a ‘hi’ before her father turned to her with a stern face. Her posture immediately straightened and she sauntered out into the hallway. “Y/N, this young man would like to ask you something.” 

She walked up to the door, gripping it with her right hand to stop herself from falling over under Alex’s gaze. 

“Hi, Y/N.” 

“Hi Alex.” She spoke quietly, her heart rate increasing ten fold as she stood in front of him. He held a bunch of white gardenias and a bunch of what appeared to be purple asters in his arms, and he looked incredibly nervous. Y/N could see how dry his lips had gotten and his chest lifted higher with each breath he took. 

“Um…I’d practised what I was going to say on the way over but I’m so nervous I can’t remember what I’d planned.” Y/N couldn’t help but let out a little chuckle and she saw Alex smile from his place in front of her. She could hear her mother gushing to her father behind her about how cute it was and her father shushing her loudly. “I’ll just go for something simple…and easy. Would you, Y/N, allow me to take you on a date?” 

It was as though her throat closed up, that her airways were blocked and that she couldn’t breathe. She stood completely still in her spot, her eyes not leaving Alex’s. He looked so incredibly scared and all she wanted to do was tell him yes. To put three tiny letters together to make one, small word. But she couldn’t. Her voice box failed her. All she could do was give him a measly nod, one that was sure to make him feel as though she didn’t really want to. 

He smiled anyway, lifting the bouquet of white flowers up for her to take. Their hands brushed as she grabbed them from him, and she swore she felt a shock of electricity run up her arm as they did. 

“Thank you.” She brought the flowers up to her nose and took a deep breath, letting their scent fill her senses. They smelled like an old memory, one that had settled upon her soul so strongly that she felt as though she was reliving every single memory that was stored within her mind. 

“You’re welcome. These are for your mother.” He handed the second bouquet over and waved at Matilda who hurried over to take them from her daughter-along with the white gardenias that Y/N held. 

“Thank you, Alex.” 

“It’s my pleasure.” Matilda rushed into the kitchen to sort both hers and her daughter’s flowers into vases while Alex continued talking to Y/N. “I’ll pick you up on Sunday at 6?” 

Y/N nodded, finally letting her lips turn up into a smile which left Alex with the all so familiar butterflies swarming in his belly. It had only been a couple of days since he had first met Y/N but the anxious feeling in his tummy (the one that he so happily allowed) had become something seemingly normal to him. His green eyes were piercing in comparison to the greying clouds that sat in the sky behind him, and Y/N found herself staring. It was like she was unable to tear hers from his but she didn’t really mind. 

“Sunday’s good.” It was Alex’s turn to nod, his teeth biting the inside of his cheek to prevent his smile from getting too wide. 

“I’ll see you Sunday, Y/N.” 

“See you Sunday, Alex.” 

**April 23rd, 1939**

Three knocks reverberated throughout the Y/L/N’s house, the clock on the wall of Richard’s office reading 5:57pm. Y/N and her mother were upstairs in the master bedroom getting ready, Matilda tying Y/N’s polka dot dress at her waist and smiling at her through the mirror. 

“I think he’s here, sweet girl.” Y/N could feel her heart beating harder in her chest as her brain worked in overdrive coming up with different scenarios for the date. She didn’t know where Alex was taking her, what they would be doing or how they were getting there. At only 19 years of age, there was no way that he would yet own a car so she was certain that they would be walking. Though, that was the only thing she was certain of. 

“I’m nervous, mum. What if I make a fool of myself?” She could feel herself growing more nervous, her leg shaking involuntarily and her heart rate increasing with each passing second. 

“You won’t make a fool of yourself, gorgeous. I saw the way he looked at you on Friday when he came and asked you out,” her mother countered brushing the sides of her own dress while her daughter turned to face her, “he looked at you as though you hung the stars in the night sky.” 

“Really?” 

“Mm, I can’t wait for you to get home so that you can tell me all about what you get up to.” Y/N kissed her mum’s cheek before leaving the room with a deep breath and heading toward the stairs of the home where she could hear her father talking to Alex. Though they both grew quiet when Alex spotted her walking down the stairs, her father turning around and smiling at his daughter who looked so happy. 

Her dress stopped just below her knees and her black heels were clicking against the wooden stairs and echoing throughout the small hallway. She had her hair rolled to the side of her head and she wore a headband which matched the material of her dress effortlessly. Not being one to wear much makeup, she had on her usual red lip and pretty much nothing else but she was happy. 

She stepped off the last step and finally let herself smile at Alex, her knees bending the slightest in what could be construed as a curtsy by anyone else. Alex shook his head in a silent chuckle, holding a box of milk tray out to her to which her smile only grew. He pushed the box out to her and she graciously took it from him, whispering a small “thank you” before handing the box to her mum who would put it away for her. 

“You ready to go?” 

“Yeah. Bye mum, bye dad.” 

Y/N’s father mumbled for Alex to have his daughter home by nine and he nodded, walking out of the front gate and turning right toward the seafront.

*** 

It was while they were walking that Y/N noticed the wicker basket that he was holding in his right hand. “What’s in the basket?” Alex turned to her with a soft grin before he tapped his nose with his left index finger, “oh, you aren’t going to tell me?” 

“Not until we get to our destination.” 

“Care to tell me where we’re headed?” He merely pointed in front of him, the sea coming into view from between two houses. “The beach?” 

Alex nodded, his steps falling in perfect sync with Y/N’s as they headed down Main Street and toward the seafront. Well, that was until Alex took a left onto Tirebridge Lane and left Y/N traipsing behind him. At the end of the road sat a little dirt-track-looking path lined with trees and a few purple flowers dotted around them. Stepping onto the stoney path, it was as though the pair had left the part of town that was inhabited by people and entered a new world where it was just the two of them. 

Y/N had to grip onto Alex’s left arm for stability as they walked through the line of trees before coming across an opening which left her mouth open and her eyes wide. It was beautiful to say the least. At either side of them there were trees which created a natural archway for them to walk under. The grass in front of them overlooked the ocean and there was a short stone wall separating the grassed area from the water. It was something out of a storybook and Y/N was in awe. 

Take a couple of steps forward so that he was standing in the middle of the clearing, Alex placed the wicker basket on the ground and opened it so that he could pull the blanket out from the top. When he had asked his mum to help him prepare for the date, she had been adamant that he took a blanket because “one should never make a lady sit on the grass. It’ll just ruin her dress and then you’ll have a nightmare”. It made him smile, remembering her face when he had asked her. Her smile was larger than life and it was the only smile besides Y/N’s that left him smiling back. 

He shook the blanket before laying it on the ground, holding his left hand out for Y/N to take so he could help her sit down and get comfy. Only when she was comfortable did Alex sit himself down next to her, the basket in front of them both. The first tub that he pulled out of the basket held pork pies and scotch eggs, with the second one being a salad and the third being some sandwiches. “I hope you like ham.” 

“I do. This is all so lovely, thank you, Alex.” 

Alex offered Y/N one of the paper plates that was covered in a doily first, letting her choose what food she wanted to eat before he got his. She picked herself a little bit of everything from the tubs before offering them to Alex to get what he wanted from them. It was quiet for a little while, the both of them eating in silence and the only sounds being those of the waves crashing gently against the wall meters away from them and the seagulls that were closer to the beach. 

“So, tell me,” Alex swallowed his bite of sandwich before finishing his question, “have you always lived in Lost Bay?” 

Y/N nodded with a small smile, “Yeah, I’ve always lived in that house too. Couldn’t imagine my life anywhere else at this point. Have you?” 

“I moved here a couple of years ago with my mum. We used to live further north but then my grampa got sick so mum moved us down here.” He smiled sadly but sweetly nonetheless. “It’s weird…him not being here anymore. He was my best friend and I admired him so much. He fought in the Great War. He left his house to me though so that’s where I live now.” No wonder she hadn’t seen him before if he moved to the town after they had finished school. 

“I’m so sorry you lost him,” Y/N whispered, resting her hand on Alex’s bicep, “I know it’s hard losing a loved one.” 

“Thank you. Enough about my grandad though, this is meant to be a date!” He smiled wide and picked himself another pork pie up. “When’s your birthday?” 

“August 17th, how about yours?” She picked her own food up to bite into, wiping at the corners of her mouth with the napkin that sat upon her lap. Alex found the way she daintily ate her food so amazing. Every time she took a bite of something, she would wipe at the corner of her mouth to rid it of any crumbs. She did the same thing with her drink and he had found himself copying her throughout their date, wiping his lips even when he knew there was nothing there. 

“A summer baby then?” Y/N nodded brightly, “I turned 19 on the 14th of February.” 

The air was thick around them for a little while, neither of them truly knowing how to turn their conversation into something a little fuller. Alex didn’t want to seem like he was bombarding Y/N with questions but she didn’t want to ask him anything in case she said the wrong thing and ruined their entire date. “A Valentine’s baby.” 

“I’ve never wanted my parents to have a day to themselves.” Y/N chuckled softly at his comment, finishing the last bite of her scotch egg before placing her plate on the blanket in front of her. The sun had started to set over the horizon and the water reflected the pinks and oranges so wonderfully. She could see the lighting upon Alex’s face change and it accentuated every single one of his features. His eyelids which always held a slight shine to them shined that little bit more under the evening sun, and his cheeks looked impossibly more defined with the shadows being cast. 

“Tell me about your parents. Your mum sounds like such a lovely woman.” Y/N clearly saw Alex’s eyes light up at the name of his mother. He loved her dearly and he would always enjoy chatting about her. 

“Florence is the most amazing woman-besides you-and I am so lucky that I get to call her my mum. She worked in a bakery for a few years before she had me, but then became a stay-at-home mum while my dad worked for the police force.” He paused for a minute, sniffing mindlessly and taking a quick breath. “He didn’t move here with us though. They fought a lot but it was never anything physical and I think they just outgrew one another so he stayed when we moved. What about your family?” It was hard for Alex, to talk about his dad because as angry as he was that he left him and his mum to move on their own while he stayed at their old house, he couldn’t help but feel disheartened that he couldn’t see him every time he went to see his mum. He really loved his dad and wished he could see him more often. 

Y/N found herself reaching out to grab his arm again, a sympathetic look washing over her face and he nodded at her with a smile, thankful that she didn’t use words to say how sorry she was to hear about it. “My mum and dad got together when they were my age and have been together since. My dad worked on his family’s farm for most of his life but he left because there was an opening in the Government and he took it.” 

Alex nodded knowingly, placing their finished food containers back into the basket and moving it to the side so they had more room to move about and get comfortable. The sea was still crashing on the wall in front of them but the waves were small, so softly that Y/N found herself calming down immensely. Each wave hit the wall as she took a breath in, her head clearing of all nerves that she had been previously feeling toward the date. 

“That sounds good. Sometimes I wish that I worked in the Government instead of being an engineer.” He chuckled dryly while Y/N poured them both another cup of Robinson’s orange dilute squash. “What made you start working for Jeff and Glenne?” 

“You work as an engineer?” Alex nodded with a smile, “you’ll have to tell me about that after. My mum actually took them a pie when they moved in back in ‘34 when the twins were mere babies and they grew close. When I turned 17 Glenne asked if I could sit with the boys while they slept so she could go out with Jeff and ever since I’ve just watched them more. They’re the loveliest of boys and I love them like they’re my brothers.” 

“They are amazing boys.” 

It was as though the mention of something that they were both able to talk about with knowledge left them being able to speak more freely. Alex could tell when he first met Y/N that the boys meant a great deal to her but he hadn’t realised that she’d witnessed them growing up. He loved the way she cared for the boys and was aware that she would make a great mother when the time came for her to have children of her own.

“They really are. How do you know Jeff?” 

“I work with him. He was my mentor at work when I first started and he became a good friend. He kinda took me under his wing when he found out that my dad didn’t live with us and we’ve got this running joke where I do often call him dad.” Y/N’s heart swelled to twice its normal size and she couldn’t help but let the corners of her mouth tilt into the widest grin she could muster. “I’d never do it in front of the boys though, wouldn’t want them to get confused by hearing someone else calling their daddy, dad, you know?” 

“I completely understand.” 

Alex stood himself up randomly, holding his hand out for Y/N to take and started to pull her up. “Dance with me.” 

When she was on her feet she finally furrowed her brows at him. “There’s no music playing. How can we dance?” 

“You don’t need music to dance, sweet girl.” He waited until he received a smile from her before he guided her left hand to rest atop his shoulder, his left hand taking her right one and his right resting upon her hip. Their movements were slow to start, Alex not wanting to overwhelm the girl in front of him. It was the closest they had ever been physically and they both had to close their eyes at the contact. 

The air around them was growing chilly with the sun no longer in the air and Y/N was starting to feel a little cold, but her hands were hot where they pressed against his body. She could feel the skin of his hand in hers. It was softer than she had imagined, but still slightly calloused from his work. His hand was much bigger than her own, and encapsulated it amazingly, somehow making her feel so incredibly safe and needed. 

They moved around the grassed area, birds chirping in the trees and children playing in their back gardens close by. Alex kept them swaying to no music when he lightly pressed his cheek to Y/N’s, humming _Cheek to Cheek_ by Irving Berlin so quietly that she missed it to start. When her heels started sinking into the grass below her, Alex stopped them moving, kicking his own shoes off and standing on the blanket.

“Take your shoes off and we’ll dance on the blanket.” He offered her a warm smile, keeping her hand in his while she toed the heels from her feet off and stood on the blanket. She was much shorter than him, the top of her head coming just below his ear. “Without trying to sound like an absolute idiot, you can rest on my chest if you’d like.” 

“You’re not an idiot, my ex-fiance was an idiot.” Y/N froze in her spot, her mouth running dry as Alex pushed away lightly so that he could tilt his head down to look at her. She held his gaze but became too afraid to say anything, scared that Alex would run away if she did. Even though she might have never been on a proper first date, she knew that you weren’t meant to talk about your ex relationships while on one. 

“Ex…ex-fiance?” Just as Y/N was scared to talk, Alex was scared that if he said anything he’d scare Y/N away. Though, of course, she’d had a fiance before. She was beautiful beyond compare and hard to not fall head over heels for. “What happened? If you don’t mind me asking.” 

“I don’t mind,” Y/N whispered, pulling away from Alex so that she could look at him fully. He motioned for them to sit back on the blanket and she nodded, taking her seat and pulling her hands into her lap. “We were 15 when we started dating. Being at school meant that we saw each other every day and we had started off as being friends but then it just kinda progressed. It was two weeks before my 17th birthday when he proposed and I obviously said yes…” she trailed off, biting at her lower lip and closing her eyes to compose herself. Even after a year, she found it hard to talk about her previous relationship. 

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.” Alex grabbed a hold of her hand and squeezed it gently, “I won’t be offended.” 

Y/N shook her head, looking at him with a small smile, “I want to tell you. We were a couple of months from the wedding last April when my friend from school told me…she told me that she’d slept with him.” She took a deep breath, the tears threatening to fall from her eyes at the thought of the year before. “I ended things there and then with him. Well, when he came to my house that evening.” 

Alex was angry at her ex. He didn’t understand how someone could be so cruel to another person. If he didn’t love her then he could have broken up with her, he didn’t need to have sex with her best friend. Y/N looked sad and he couldn’t think of anything else to do but lightly pull her into him so that he could hold her. He rocked her ever so slightly as he held her, feeling her breathing at a regular pace when her arms wrapped around his middle. 

“Come on, let’s get you home.” 

“I’m actually regretting not bringing a jacket with me right now,” Y/N wrapped her arms around herself to try and keep heat in her body, “it’s a little cold.” 

Alex himself wasn’t wearing a jacket so when they stood up and put their shoes back on, he shook the blanket off and wrapped it tightly around her body. She held it tightly around herself and smiled at him. “Thank you,” she mumbled, offering him a warming smile. 

*** 

“It’s been a lovely evening, thank you for coming.” Alex stood in front of Y/N at her front door, the basket of finished food by his feet and the blanket still wrapped around her body. “I had a really nice time.” 

“No, thank you, Alex. It’s been amazing.” She offered him a smile and pulled her bottom lip between her teeth gingerly. Shrugging her shoulders gently, Y/N pushed the blanket from her body and started to fold it so that she could hand it back. Though, Alex put his hand up to stop her. 

“Keep it, give it back the next time you see me.” Neither of them knew when that would be, but she nodded anyway, holding it in her arms while they stood in a slightly awkward silence. “Thank you…again.” 

“Thank you…again.” They shared a chuckle before Y/N’s father opened the front door and interrupted the two. 

“Well done, son. You got her home in time so you get brownie points.” Alex let out a quiet laugh before picking the basket back up and bidding farewell to the family who stood at the door. 

“Be seeing you, Y/N.” 

“Be seeing you, Alex.” 


	2. Part II

**May 5th, 1939 **

Lost Bay cinema had only opened four weeks previously though had quickly turned into one of the town’s most visited places. It sat only a short walk away from the shore and should you be stood on the top floor, you could see the waves crashing against the golden sand below. The interior of the cinema wasn’t that which could be seen as typical for buildings in Lost Bay. The walls were a dark mahogany, matching the doors that led to the screens and toilets, and the carpet was dark red with black shapes scattered over it. It felt squishy under their feet which left Y/N giggling as she stepped into the warm building. The scent of freshly popped popcorn and cigarette smoke filled her nose and she found herself smiling in pure bliss while Alex bought them their tickets from the bar area that sat to the side. 

On the walk to their date, she had insisted that he needn’t spend his hard earned money on her and that she would have been content with sitting on a bench anywhere in the town with him to talk. He’d responded rather hastily with, “I want to treat you, you deserve it,” and that was the last they had spoken about the situation. 

Y/N walked toward the wall to the left of the doors where there were posters for a couple of new films that had already been released. Films still baffled the young girl. A lot of the films that were being shown had been books first and to begin with, she found it hard to wrap her head around the fact that these books had been turned into something that one could watch rather than just read. One film, Love Affair, looked like it could be good to watch and she smiled as she saw the young couple who were on the poster. They looked happily in love and looking at their smiles left her smiling herself. 

She was pulled from her thoughts as Alex walked up to her, “Got us two tickets for Love Affair and a box of popcorn to share, if that’s okay?,” He queried softly. Y/N turned around to face him with a goofy grin, nodding as she did. 

“That’s perfect, thank you.” _How did he know her so well so soon?_ She moved so that she stood beside him and walked with him until they were at the doors of the screen, his hands full with the popcorn and the tickets and hers completely empty. “I can take the popcorn if you’d like? I feel bad that you’re carrying everything.” 

Alex merely smiled with a shake of his head, whispering, “It’s okay. I’ve got it.” Y/N nodded with yet another smile before stepping forward as the queue went down. 

As they approached the staff member who was collecting tickets, Alex handed them over and thanked the woman before leading Y/N into the dark room where they found a bucket load of seats. “Where would you like to sit?” He asked softly. 

“Umm, I don’t mind. Though maybe we should sit closer to the doors…just in case either of us needs to use the bathroom?” 

“Oh, drinks! We’ll sit on that row then and I’ll run and grab us something to drink…if you’d like one?” He asked while pointing to the row in front of them, no one else having habited the seats on it. Y/N found it funny that the word bathroom had reminded Alex about drinks and she let out the faintest of giggles. 

She answered as she sat in a seat, flattening her skirt under her bum before she did. “Yes, please. Though you really don’t have to spend the money.” 

“Nonsense. Water?” Y/N nodded before Alex was gone to get their drinks. 

While Alex was getting them a beverage, Y/N mentally prepped herself for her second date with the man who had quickly become a huge part of her life. She had already done it before Alex had arrived at her house to pick her up but that was before she had seen him. As soon as her eyes met his, all of the nerves she had felt previously flooded back into her head and she grew ten times more panicked. “Come on Y/N, you know Alex. He’s bloody amazing and he clearly wants to be here with you so stop being a wuss.” She smoothed her hair down as she whispered to herself, greatly hoping that no one around could hear her talking to herself. 

As Alex waited in line to pay for the drinks, he also had to mentally prepare himself. He smoothed down his tweed trousers and took a deep breath, reminding himself that he liked Y/N and she must like him if she was willing to go on a second date with him. He greatly hoped that no one around him could hear him whispering to himself to, “get a grip, it’s just Y/N.” 

Before his brain had the chance to overthink everything, the girl who worked behind the counter called Alex over with a smile. “Hey, what can I get for you?” The girl asked, her paper looking hat sitting atop her head. 

“Just a bottle of water, please,” Alex asked quietly, grabbing a shilling from his pocket and handing it over before grabbing the water from the counter and walking away swiftly.

Y/N was still in the same seat that she had been when Alex had left and he let out a sigh of relief that she hadn’t left, which left her chuckling lightly. He passed her the bottle of water as he sat down beside her. It didn’t take her long to realise that Alex hadn’t got himself a drink and she felt insanely bad. She unscrewed the cap and took a sip from it, offering it to Alex who instantly rejected it. 

“Alex, you didn’t get yourself a drink and it’s a long film. You’re going to share this bottle of water with me.” 

“Thank you.” He got himself comfortable just as the lights dimmed in the room and the big screen lit up. There were a couple of people cheering and Y/N found herself breathing a laugh while Alex shook his head lightly. 

The cinema was warm, the collective body heat of everyone else who was there raising the temperature surrounding Y/N and Alex. A slightly older couple sat in front of them and the husband had his left arm wrapped around his wife’s shoulders. He pulled her into him and pressed a chaste kiss to her temple before turning back to pay attention to the movie playing and Y/N had found herself smiling softly at them. Two speakers sat above Y/N and Alex and often caused the two to jump when the sound started suddenly. 

Halfway through the movie, though neither of them knew that they were halfway through, Alex looked between them so that he could grab some more popcorn. Though, he realised that his pinky finger was a mere centimetre away from hers so he pushed it out a tiny bit more so that they were touching. She froze for a millisecond before letting her lips turn up into a smile which Alex couldn’t miss, though her eyes remained locked onto the screen in front of her. 

She was secretly praying that Alex was unable to see the way that her chest was rising more with each breath due to how new the gesture was. His finger was warm and soft to the touch, just as she had imagined. As much as she hoped Alex couldn’t see her chest heaving, Alex hoped that Y/N couldn’t see him sit a little straighter in his seat and gulp in anxiousness. She had seen him sit up straighter, his finger pressing down on hers a little as he did so, though she hadn’t seen his gulp as her eyes were trained on the movie playing in front of her. After a little while, their fingers grew warm and slightly sweaty with the heat that was radiating around them but neither of them wanted to move. 

Y/N shifted slightly in her seat and her pinky moved away from Alex’s to which he turned to face her. Once she’d got herself situated, she pushed her hand out so that their fingers made contact once more. The most minimal physical contact between them was enough to make her feel like her entire body was lit on fire, their connection burning rampantly over each of her nerve endings. As soon as they were connected once again, Alex’s tongue involuntarily pushed out of his mouth to lick at his bottom lip as he smiled. He was just as obsessed with Y/N as she was him. 

*** 

The air had gone from being slightly sticky and warm in the cinema, to cool outside as they made their way home. Y/N stood to Alex’s left as they walked down Canary Street toward her house, her cardigan pulled a little tighter around her body. They were able to smell the sea as they walked away from it, the wind pushing the scent throughout the entire town. It was a smell that Y/N would never tire of no matter how many years she spent living so close to the water. The scent of the ocean was enough for her to forget about her woes for a minute, and never failed to turn her whole day around. 

There was something in the air as they walked. It was thick with some type of tension that neither of them really knew how to describe. They hadn’t said much since they left the movie, both too caught up in having entered reality once again to even contemplate forming sentences. Y/N’s head was still so clouded from the film that she had hardly really noticed Alex stood next to her as they walked, though every part of Y/N’s body tingled when the back of Alex’s hand brushed against hers ever so lightly. It was a feathery touch and so light that if it weren’t for the heat which had travelled throughout her entire body, she wouldn’t have felt it. 

“Would you…” Alex trailed off, words completely failing him, “maybe would you mind…if…” He didn’t know why it was so hard for him to ask her. It was a simple question that should be able to say. But he couldn’t say it. 

So he didn’t ask, he just reached his hand out a little farther and grabbed a hold of hers, lacing their fingers together and taking a deep breath. His heart was pounding in his chest, the noise of it reverberating in his ears. It was less than a second before Y/N was responding to his gesture, though it had felt like a lifetime. She tilted her head down so that she could look at their entwined hands, the smile evident on her face and her eyes looked ever so slightly glassy. 

When she looked back up at him, she could see the blush that was taking over his face, his lips pulled between his teeth trying to stop the smile from growing too wide. “Sorry I didn’t…um…ask you if I could-” 

“Do you know how long I’ve waited for you to do that?” She responded in a split second. She looked up at him and his heart burst when he saw just how wide she was smiling at him. His cheeks grew impossibly redder as she spoke to him, her thumb rubbing lightly over his index finger. 

“Never held anyone’s hand before,” he whispered, “didn’t know it would feel so… pleasant.”

Y/N squeezed his hand a little tighter, letting him know that she completely understood how he felt. His hand was big against hers, his fingers pushing hers further apart than she’d ever known but it was nice, and the skin of his palm was soft against hers. Alex reciprocated Y/N’s gesture and squeezed her hand slightly tighter, enjoying the way that his fingers curled around her hand flawlessly. There had been numerous times in his 19 years on the earth that he had imagined what it would be like to hold someone’s hand, though never had he been quite able to picture how utterly amazing it would feel. How amazing it would feel to feel the heat from someone else in his own hand, how soft a person’s hand could be, and how relaxing the simple gesture could be. 

“I like holding your hand. It feels…really nice.” Y/N didn’t know why she was so shy about holding his hand but she was. She could feel the butterflies fluttering in her tummy and she had to take deep breaths in order to keep herself calm. 

“It is…really nice.” Alex didn’t know why he was so nervous about the ordeal. It was only Y/N and ever since he’d met her he had dreamed of feeling her skin upon his. He’d dreamed about his hand being entwined with hers as it was then, his thumb rubbing against her lightly but not too light that she couldn’t feel it. He’d dreamed about holding her into his front with his head resting upon her shoulder. 

“-Alex?” Y/N spoke softly, pulling Alex out of his thoughts and back to earth. When he felt her remove her hand from his, his heart deflated, but then he looked up. The bushes that sat outside Y/N’s house were in plain view and her father was stood at the doorway with a stern look on his face. “Everything okay?” 

“Hmm?” He blinked again and looked at the gorgeous girl stood before him, a small grin playing at his lips as he nodded, “yeah, I’m good. You should probably get inside where it’s warm. I’ll see you in a couple of days.” 

Y/N nodded, her lips turned up into a familiar smile that Alex could never get enough of. He smiled back at her, taking a step backwards ready to walk away but she grabbed his hand to pull him back slightly. Her hand was clammy in his, the heat that was created from holding it for so long on the walk home, and she stood up on her tiptoes before pressing her lips to his cheek quickly. She walked up the path before he could do anything though, turning around to wave at him lightly before heading into the house behind her dad. 

Alex couldn’t move for a few seconds, his feet cemented to the ground below him. His heart was beating ten times faster than it had been even when he held Y/N’s hand less than half an hour earlier. As he stood there, he brought his fingertips up to the part of his skin where she had pressed her lips, taking a deep breath and letting the smile he’d been holding in all night cover his face. It was a smile that lifted his cheeks so much that he could hardly see, a smile that left his lips so thin that they almost disappeared and a smile which left his heart happy. 

When Y/N entered the house behind her dad, she kicked her shoes off without putting them away before she walked through to the lounge where her mum sat sewing a hole that had formed in her father’s work trousers. 

“Hi, baby! How was your date?” Y/N sat next to her mum with the brightest smile. 

“Oh, it was just wonderful…again. We went to the cinema! It was so fun, mum. Seeing a movie on such a big screen. I told Alex not to spend so much money on me but he told me that it didn’t matter because he wanted to treat me.” Y/N gushed, her eyes not once leaving her mums. “Held his hand too.” 

“You did?” Matilda dropped the trousers in her lap so that she could turn to her daughter fully who was nodding her head rather dramatically. “Tell me about it.” 

*** 

**May 15th, 1939**

After a long day of watching her favourite five-year olds, all Y/N yearned to do was go home, put on her pyjamas and wrap herself up in the blanket of Alex’s which still sat on her bed. Glenne and Jeff had just gotten back from their weekly date night and had joined Y/N in the living room just as she’d sat down with a cup of tea after having put the boys to bed. The older couple had insisted that she stay and finish her drink before she headed home and she gladly took them up on their offer, not wanting to appear rude at all. They were her friends after all. 

“Oh, Jeff, Alex and Florence will be coming over tonight for a little while. It’s still early and I haven’t seen them in so long because of work.” Glenne spoke so nonchalantly though she had no clue the affect her words had on Y/N. Even just hearing Alex’s name left butterflies swarming in her tummy and it left her feeling beyond giddy. 

Jeff hummed his response from the kitchen, walking back out with a glass of scotch for himself and sitting down on the sofa across from Y/N and his wife. “Y/N, have you met Alex yet?” Y/N almost choked on her tea, not expecting the question in the slightest. Glenne looked at her funny but turned to look at her husband once more who was unbuttoning the top button of his shirt. 

“Um…I have,” she answered gently. “A couple of times actually.” 

“Oh?” Glenne appeared confused, not knowing how her sons’ childminder could have met her husband’s colleague. “When?” 

It took Y/N a couple of seconds to respond as she took a deep breath to prepare herself. “He actually turned up last month when Florence had sent some roast dinner for the boys, and then he came the day after to pick something up that he said he’d left in the office…” she trailed off, remembering the day as though it was the day before, “couldn’t find it though.” 

“He left something in the office?” Jeff queried with his eyebrows furrowed. “I always make sure to triple check that he’s got everything with him. He’s not once left anything of his here before.” Y/N lifted her head softly as she pulled her lips between her teeth. If he never left anything at the Azoff’s, why the hell did he turn up when she was there? Not that she minded that he was there, she was more than happy to see him again. But, she was still confused. 

She only stayed at the house for ten more minutes before deciding that she needed to head home to bed because it was getting late and she’d woken up rather early that day. “It was lovely seeing you both again, but I best be off.” Y/N stood up and Glenne followed her, walking through to the hallway with her while she put her shoes and coat on. 

The wind was bitter outside, the sun failing the seaside town that particular May evening. Her black, long-line coat was pulled around her body tightly and she held it closed with both of her hands. She cursed herself for not having wrapped a scarf around her neck when she first left her house that morning, the wind outside slicing at her neck and causing her to lift her shoulders to shield herself from it. As she waved goodbye to the woman at the door who had her own arms wrapped around her body to shield from the cold, she made her way down the path with her heels clicking on the stones underneath them. 

It was evident that she wasn’t paying attention to where she was going for when she had closed the gate, she turned around with her eyes on the floor and bumped into something. Someone, actually. She could tell who it was from the sweater vest that adorned his chest, and the feel of his arms around her body when he held her up. 

“Careful there, little lady.” Y/N could feel her cheeks flush as the words left Alex’s mouth, her eyes finally lifting to look at him. She knew that he had called her little lady because she was a lot shorter than him, the top of her head coming below his ears, but it still left her cheeks heating up. “You know, you should really look forward while you’re walking instead of the ground.” 

“You know, I’ve been told that before,” she giggled at him, standing herself up properly and wiggling her shoulders to readjust her coat. That’s when she noticed that he wasn’t alone. Stood beside him was a woman in a coat similar to her own, one hand in her pocket and the other holding onto her handbag which sat over her shoulder. Her hair was dark and curled to perfection, her eyes light like Alex’s and her smile was just as wide. 

“Oh, my bad. Y/N, this is my mum, Florence. Mum, this is Y/N. My…Y/N.” He was flustered as he spoke, his left hand stuffed into his pocket as he rested his right one on Y/N’s wrist. 

“It’s so lovely to meet you, Y/N. Alex has said a lot about you,” Florence spoke softly, bringing the younger girl in for a hug and holding her close for a few seconds. 

“It’s lovely to meet you too, Mrs Harrison. Alex has told me a lot about you too.” Y/N was the first to pull away, gripping onto Alex’s wrist as he had hers only moments prior. She was unsure as to why such a small gesture left her feeling instantly calm, but it did. 

Florence was quick to respond, “please, call me Florence! Any friend of Alex is a friend of mine. Plus, Mrs Harrison makes me feel old.” 

Y/N nodded with a smile before turning to Alex quickly. “Am I alright to talk to you about something really quick?” Alex nodded, Florence whispering that she’d be right inside when they were finished. 

“I’ll see you again, Y/N.” 

“See you soon, Florence.” Y/N waved at Alex’s mum as she walked through the gate and toward the front door, emphasising her name as if to remind herself to not call her Mrs Harrison. She turned her attention back to the boy she found herself smitten with who stood with a crease between his eyebrows. “I was chatting to Jeff and he told me something interesting…” 

“Oh, he did?” Alex asked softly, scared to know where the conversation was headed. 

“He did. Ummm, he said that he double checks that you never leave anything at his house which had me thinking…” she trailed off, standing in front of him and grabbing his hands in hers gently, “how come the second day I met you, you said that you’d left something?” 

If Alex could see his own face, he knew that he would see red cheeks and his lips rolled between his teeth. Of course he was embarrassed, he’d been caught out…by Jeff nonetheless. He didn’t know how to reply to Y/N, his eyes averting away from her and finding a spot on a tree behind her to look at instead. 

“Um…you see…” He truly didn’t know what he was going to say to her. “IjustreallywantedtoseeyouagainandIcouldn’twait.” 

Y/N furrowed her brows at him, licking at her bottom lip as she tried to process what had been spoken to her. “Pardon? Didn’t quite catch that.” 

“I…just really wanted to see you again and I couldn’t wait.” He spoke slower that time, his breathing going back to semi-normal. “You have no idea how much I battled with myself to not come and see you but I knew they were both at work so you’d be there and just…I wanted to see you again.” 

Y/N couldn’t help but smile at his confession, her head moving so that she could look into his eyes once more. “You don’t know how glad I was that you turned up randomly.” 

“Really?” 

“Really.” She smiled again. “You should probably go inside before it gets too late. I’ve had a long day and could do with some sleep as well.” Alex nodded, bringing his lips to her cheek to kiss lightly. Her skin was soft under him, though cold from the wind that had been attacking her face continuously since she had left the Azoff’s house. 

“Be seeing you, Y/N.” 

“Be seeing you, Alex.” 

*** 

**May 23rd, 1939 **

Y/N sat to the left of Alex and across from her best friend, Mildred, and Mildred’s boyfriend. Four ice cream sundaes sat on the table in front of them, each with a shiny red cherry on the top. Alex had eaten his cherry as soon as his ice cream was placed near him, popping it into his mouth and biting down into the sticky, overly sweet, fake cherry that garnished pretty much every sundae in the place.

“Alex, would you like my cherry?” Y/N asked softly, turning her attention to him while he smiled at her. He wasn’t as good at hiding the giggle threatening to escape him as he thought he was, his chest lifting and falling quickly as he let out a snicker. His lips were turned up into an amused smirk as Y/N stared at him in slight bewilderment. Never had she thought that something so childish–or at least childish to her–would make him chuckle. But alas, it did and she couldn’t help but letting her own giggle escape. “Here you go then.” She lifted the cherry onto her spoon before dropping it onto Alex’s ice cream. 

He thanked her faintly before popping the cherry into his mouth and biting into it the same way he had with his own. It was ridiculously sweet and tasted nothing like a cherry, but it was nice nonetheless. Alex could feel the sugar coating his teeth and he ran his tongue over them numerous times to try and get rid of the residue. Y/N had found herself watching him eat. Each time he placed the spoon into his mouth he would stick his tongue out before actually placing the cold dessert into his mouth. It was fascinating, really, but she never commented on it. 

“So, how did you two meet?” Mildred asked gently. To anyone else it would like she was just being nice and curious as to how her best friend happened to meet someone so lovely, but Y/N knew better. She knew that it was because she’d been caught out and had spent a little too much time staring at the way the man next to her ate his food.

“Oh we umm-” 

“So, funny story-”

Both Y/N and Alex spoke at the same time, looking at each other with goofy grins. “You go,” Alex gestured to Y/N, popping another spoonful of his ice cream into his mouth so that he couldn’t talk which left Y/N shaking her head at him with yet another chuckle. 

“We actually met at the Azoff’s house.” Mildred was aware of the Azoffs, for if she couldn’t get a hold of Y/N through her parent’s house she knew where she would be. “Alex brought a roast dinner around for Jack and Peter.” 

“Well, actually,” Alex interjected, lifting his pointer finger up as if to emphasise his point, “I’d taken it round for the entire family but you know.” Y/N tilted her head to the side and raised her eyebrows gently in amusement. 

“Alex brought a roast dinner around for the family,” she turned to him and licked her lips. “Better?” He simply nodded and she shook her head, sighing playfully in defeat and continuing her conversation. “So, he brought the food around and I asked if he’d like a cup of tea. I was making one for myself so I thought it polite to ask him too.” 

Alex’s hand rest by his side on the cool leather seat, his pinky finger brushing against Y/N’s delicately. She could feel the heat rise upon her cheeks but she kept her cool the best she could, though she was very aware that she was failing miserably. Especially when Mildred furrowed her brows at her in confusion. 

“She makes a pretty good cup of tea.” Alex spoke nonchalantly, sipping at his water while Y/N smirked knowingly. One thing that she’d always been known for was her tea making skills. People had been able to tell if she had made them a cuppa from the first sip, and it was always followed by a moan of appreciation. “I don’t think I’ve ever had a nicer cuppa.” 

“Oh, Alex…you got the girl already, no need to charm her.” Mildred uttered and left Y/N with wide eyes and Alex trying to hold back yet another laugh. “So, you literally met at the Azoff’s and sat with a cup of tea? Love story for the ages.” 

Y/N ignored her friend’s comment, taking her own spoonful of melting ice cream and putting it into her mouth, noticing the way Alex watched her from the corner of her eye. He found is so endearing to watch her do the simplest of tasks, whether that be standing in the kitchen and making a cup of tea, or eating ice cream. No matter what she did, he couldn’t help but watch her intently with the happiest of grins. Y/N could feel her cheeks heat up from the way that he was staring at her, so she turned to him with her lips in a tight line. Alex embarrassingly cowered away while Mildred laughed at the pair. She didn’t know how two people who had only known each other for a month could be so close and utterly perfect for one another. 

*** 

The sun had only just started to set when Y/N and Alex left the ice cream parlour, the clock above the entrance had read 8:30. Y/N’s father, Richard had instructed Alex to have his daughter home no later than nine pm. The longer the couple had been dating, the longer that Y/N’s father allowed her to be out of the house. She had told him numerous times that she was no longer a child but an adult who was fully capable of getting herself home at a reasonable time. Though, he had waved her off, warning Alex once more to have her home by nine. 

Alex had always made sure to have Y/N home by the time her father had requested, in fact, most days where he had seen her he had made sure that she was home at least 15 minutes before she was meant to be. He’d always prided himself in being a true gentleman and if that meant that he would sacrifice time with his date to get her home early, then that’s what he would do. Gaining the respect of a girl’s father was one of the more important things in his dating life, feeling that their blessing was the most important (besides finding a girl he liked).

As the pair walked hand in hand through Lost Bay, they talked about a whole shrew of things. From Alex’s job as an engineer and how he came to love his profession so much even before he had gotten a job, to Y/N’s love of baking and what her favourite things to make were, to what their favourite subjects in school had been while they were still there. Though when they walked down Knickerbocker Lane, Y/N’s demeanour shifted to one similar to what Alex had seen when they were on their very first date. Her hand grew clammy in his and she kept her gaze on one singular house. 

“You okay, Y/N?” Alex questioned quietly, not wanting to scare her out of her trance. “Y’seem to have zoned out on me there.” 

“Yeah, yeah. ‘T’s just…that’s just where George lives.” She responded gently. 

“George as in…”

“My ex.” Alex lifted his head in understanding, picking his pace up to match Y/N’s as she sped past one of the houses and walked toward the park that sat in the middle of the town and acted as the centrepoint for most of the area. If one stood in the middle of the park, they would more than likely be able to see the street in which their house stood. It had intrigued Alex when he first moved to the town for when he had heard people refer to the town as the ‘circle’ he hadn’t fully believed them. Lo and behold, the town truly was a circle and he’d laughed about the fact on multiple occasions. 

“I see, well come on then. We’ll walk through the park instead.” Y/N didn’t comment on the fact that she was already headed that way. Instead, she simply gripped his hand a little tighter and followed close behind him until they were stood on the concrete path running through the park. 

The park was lit up with orange hued lights and the light breeze left the grass swaying and almost whistling at the side of them. It was warmer that evening than it had been the previous times Y/N and Alex had been out, neither of them needing to wrap themselves up to keep warm on their way home. As they walked past the actual play park, Y/N spotted the bench that she used to sit on when she was younger. It was wooden and dark, and overlooked the small pond which was habited with different fish. There was an old man that lived in one of the houses of Knickerbocker Lane who would take fish food almost every day, despite being asked to stop. 

Y/N guided Alex to the bench, ignoring the way that he looked at her in utter confusion. She sat down first, bringing her knees to her chest and clasping her arms around them to steady herself. Alex sat down seconds later, his body facing her just as she started to talk. “I used to come here all the time last year. When everything happened and I felt down. Coming here helped because I could be alone in my own thoughts while still not truly being alone, you know?” 

Alex simply nodded, understanding that she was having a moment and she probably just needed someone to sit by her rather than talking nonsense they don’t know about. 

“It was nice because all I could hear were the birds in the trees and the kids in the park behind me. In the summer when it was super warm, there were always people with their dogs out here and even though it hurt a little, it was nice to see a few young couples enjoying a picnic. I quickly dubbed this bench my little escape but I haven’t been in a while.” She turned to him with what could only be called a sad smile, her eyes closing for a little while longer than normal and her bottom lip pulled between her teeth. 

“How come you haven’t been for a little while?” Alex’s question threw her off guard for she hadn’t really thought about why she stopped going to the park. 

“I met you.” Her words were quiet, barely above a whisper. 

“What do you mean?” 

“I mean…when I met you I forgot about last year and I’ve not been as down since. I’m so scared that that’s going to change.” Y/N gulped, letting her eyes meet Alex’s for the first time since she’d sat down. He looked worried. 

“Why would it ever change?” Y/N didn’t know how she was going to answer him. Not once in her 18 years had she been so scared to tell someone something. There was only one other person who knew about it, and that was her mum but she couldn’t not tell her mum. When her and George had broken up, she knew that she had to talk to someone about it and she’d been just as scared then as she was sat in front of Alex ready to tell him. 

“When George and I were still engaged, we um…we had sex.” Her words were rushed, as if saying them slowly wasn’t even an option. “I highly regret it because we weren’t married at that point so we shouldn’t have done it and I wish we hadn’t, but-”

“Y/N, stop.” Alex interrupted her ramble, placing his hands on her shoulders and watching as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, Alex was looking at her intently. “You having had sex with your ex fiance doesn’t change us in any way shape or form.” 

“But-” 

“No buts. You telling me this hasn’t changed the way that I feel about you. You’re still the Y/N I met at Jeff and Glenne’s last month. Nothing is going to change that.” 

Y/N could tell that Alex was being sincere, but she couldn’t help but still feel weary that he wasn’t telling her the truth. There was no reason for him to lie about it, but with sex before marriage being seriously frowned upon, she was scared that he still thought differently about her. 

“You really mean that?” 

“I really, really mean that.” Alex responded softly, gripping onto Y/N’s hands tightly. She could see the cogs working in his head as he looked at her lovingly, flicking his eyes between her eyes and their hands which rested on her knees. It was though he was trying to decide whether to do something or not. But when he looked at her hands one more time, she pushed her feet forward and off the bench, looking at him with a soft smile. That was all the invitation he needed to wrap his arms around her torso and pull her into his body in a hug. Y/N let herself fall into him and held him that bit tighter when it felt as though he was pulling away. 

“We should get you home, I don’t want your dad to hate me.” Y/N chuckled into Alex before pulling away finally, smiling up at him before standing him and wiping her trousers down. 

“Come on then.” 

*** 

The stone path that led to Y/N’s home was lit up with multiple solar lights which would charge in the sun during the day and create light during the night. For as long as she could remember, Y/N had been in awe of the little lights that lined the front path. Even when she stood in front of them with Alex to her right and her father in front of him with the most stern of looks upon his face, she could still see the beauty in them. She knew from the look on her father’s face that they were late getting back and she was well aware that it was her own fault. His stood with his hands in his trouser pockets with his bottom lip pulled into his mouth and his eyebrows raised higher than she’d ever seen them before. It was ‘the look’ and even Alex knew that it wasn’t a good sign. 

“You’re late.” His words were sharp and to the point, knowing that the pair in front of him would understand how mad he was. 

“Mr Y/L/N, I am so sorry for getting your daughter home late I-“ Alex was interrupted by Y/N who rested her hand on his bicep and pushed him back ever so slightly so that she could look at her father properly. 

“No, dad, it was my fault. We-I wanted to keep talking so we did. You remember the bench in the park? We sat there and just talked.” Y/N had spoken to her father about the bench one day when she had taken herself on a little walk only a few days after her breakup with George. 

Just as her father was about to respond, Alex held onto Y/N’s wrist so that he could get her attention before he continued talking. “No, Y/N I’m a man and it’s my job to get you home on time but I failed at that. That’s on my shoulders, not yours.” 

Richard looked between his daughter and Alex, closing his eyes and shaking his head gently. As much as he wanted to not like the boy her daughter was dating, he couldn’t help but like him. Alex would get his daughter home earlier than asked, he insisted on paying for whatever they were doing and he was just a gentleman in general. 

“You know, Alex. I really did want to not like you but you’re so amazing with my daughter. Not many other men would be willing to take the fall for something that is so very clearly the female’s fault.” His words were clearly aimed at Y/N and she was aware, trying to hide her smile as she looked at him. 

Her heart swelled hearing her dad speak to Alex in such a lovely way though, and she gripped his hand tightly in her own, smiling at her dad as she did. “He’s very likeable, father.” 

“I can see that, angel. Now, Alex…would you like to join Matilda, Y/N and myself for dinner on Saturday evening?” 

Both Y/N and Alex were astounded at the question, neither of them expecting it in the slightest. Alex was taken aback as he’d gotten Y/N home late that night and was sure that he’d be getting the third degree, and Y/N was taken aback as her father hadn’t mentioned inviting Alex to dinner before. 

“I would love to, Mr Y/L/N. Thank you.” 

“That’s okay. I’ll let you both say goodbye and we’ll see you at six on Saturday.” With that, Richard was walking into the house and leaving Y/N and Alex on their own in the garden. 

“I’ll see you on Saturday.” Y/N started to walk away, but Alex grabbed her hand and spun her back into him, catching under her arms when she tripped on a raised flagstone. 

“Hey, I want to ask you something before you go inside.” 

Y/N’s heart rate picked up and she could feel it pumping against her ribcage. Her hands grew clammy instantly and her lips grew dry. She was unsure as to why she grew so nervous suddenly. It was only Alex, she knew him well and there was no reason for her to be nervous. Yet she was. _Was he going to tell her that it actually did matter that she’d had sex before? How would she not cry as she said goodbye to him if that’s what he said? _

“What’s up?” 

“Nothing’s up. It’s just…um…I really like what we’ve got going on here and well I can’t see myself going on a date with anyone else.” Alex was just as nervous as Y/N and she could tell with the way that he shifted his weight from one leg to the other, his teeth pulling at his bottom lip as he contemplated his next words. “Would you-would you go steady with me? I really like you and would love to keep seeing you.” 

Y/N nodded her head with the biggest smile, reaching up on her tiptoes to press her lips to Alex’s cheek gently. It was so gentle that he wouldn’t have felt it if it weren’t for the blood that rushed to the area and burned under his skin. She pulled away quickly, her own cheeks heating up as she pulled her lips between her teeth as she tried to stop them from tugging into the biggest smile ever. Her own lips were warm from his cheek, and the skin was just as soft as she had imagined it to be. Though there was the slightest hint of facial hair growing but it only tickled her lips. She could still feel his cheek on her lips when she pulled away, and even though she tried not to smile, Alex could see how happy she was in her eyes. 

“I’ll see you on Saturday.” 

“Bye, Y/N.” 

With that, Alex walked out of the garden gate and started to walk down the street. When he knew that he was out of Y/N’s sight, he let his fingertips run over the area that she’d kissed, his own lips turning into a smile that he couldn’t stop. Sure he’d dated other people before but none of them left him feeling the way Y/N had. Whenever he walked away from her his heart sank somewhat, and he got an anxious feeling completely overtake him. Y/N was his favourite person and it physically pained him to be away from her. 

*** 

**May 27th, 1939**

The young Azoff boys had been true pains in the butt that day, doing everything in their power to push Y/N’s buttons. And a mere one hour before their parents returned home from work, they had managed to get on her last nerve and she’d had no choice but to pull the authority card and make them take a time out. It wasn’t often that she was a true authority figure to them, wanting them to know that she was their friend first. But when she needed to, she could truly be the authority in the house. If there were a checklist of things kids could do to rile up someone who was looking after them, Y/N was sure that they would have ticked every single one. 

The day had started with them running literal circles around her while she tried to make their breakfast, resulting in spilt milk and a broken cup. Whenever she had asked them to clean up after themselves they simply stuck their tongues out at her and carried on doing what they were doing. At lunch time, they started a water fight in the bathroom while they were cleaning their hands and left Y/N spending the time they were eating on her knees cleaning when she herself should have been eating. When she finally managed to sit down with her sandwich, the boys decided they wanted to fight in the living room and Peter wound up with a bumped head and Jack started crying because he didn’t want to get in trouble, even though he’d been the one to hurt his brother. 

Then dinner time happened. Both boys decided that they didn’t want to eat their potatoes and thus proceeded to throw them all on the floor before getting out of their seats and walking them into the tiles. The final straw, however, was when both boys decided that they wanted dessert (after being told specifically that they weren’t allowed any by both Y/N and their parents) so they stood on the dining chairs to reach the cupboard where they knew the sweet treats were kept. Y/N had caught them both just as Jack was taking his choice of chocolate from his mum’s Milk Tray. 

“Jack Gregory Azoff, what on earth do you think you are doing?” Y/N had her eyebrows raised at the young boy who looked at her meekly, hanging his head in shame. “You can’t even tell me that it wasn’t you because you already have chocolate all around your mouth!” 

“Miss Y/N it really wasn’t me! Peter put them in my mouth.” 

“Peter put them in your mouth?” Jack nodded, his bottom lip sticking out and quivering as his eyes grew water. “Well did he make you chew them?” 

“No, Miss Y/N.” 

“I thought not. Put the chocolates back onto the worktop and get your bums down right this instant!” Y/N stood in the doorway of the kitchen and watched the boys get down from their seats on the worktop and walk over to her sheepishly. Never before had she had them behave so badly and it was enough for her to question ever wanting children of her own. “You have been so naughty today, and I’m getting rather upset with you both so you’re getting a timeout. Jack, you sit at the bottom of the stairs. Peter, you sit by the wall next to the kitchen. I’m going to clean up and I don’t want any noise coming from the two of you.” 

The boys did as they were told and quietly made their way to the place they’d been told to sit, crossing their legs under themselves and pouting. Y/N shook her head and turned into the kitchen to clean up, planning how she was going to tell Glenne how the boys had been that day. She was slightly annoyed as there was chocolate on her trousers and she’d not wanted to get changed before Alex turned up for dinner with her parents and herself. When Alex had asked her why she only wore trousers to work one time, she had explained to him that the young boys kept trying to peek up her skirts when she wore them. He had hummed in response and the conversation had never been brought up again. 

She rolled the sleeves of her white shirt up once more as she placed the disarray of chocolates back into their rightful places and put the box back in the cupboard before cleaning the side down and putting the chairs back where they belonged. It didn’t take her long to clean up and as she walked out of the kitchen, Glenne walked through the front door with a sigh. 

“It is so good to be home! Jack? How come you’re sat in front of the stairs like that?” Y/N cowered slightly as the anticipation of how Jack would respond to his mother grew. 

“Miss Y/N put me here. I’ve been naughty.” Your eyes closed as Glenne came into view, her coat still on her back as she pulled her red leather gloves from her perfectly manicured hands. 

“They’ve been naughty?” 

“I’m afraid so. They’ve managed to get into your chocolate cupboard so I apologise that you have some missing.” Y/N could see Glenne trying to stifle a laugh, but she also looked sympathetic. 

“I am so sorry they’ve been bad today, angel. I’ll tell you what, you head home now and I’ll put them to bed.” 

“Oh, I couldn’t possibly do that.” 

“Go on! You mother told me that you’ve got company tonight and I don’t know if he’d appreciate you walking in after him and covered in chocolate, would he? Well, not until you’re married at least.” Y/N shook her head and barked a laugh, walking to the front door where her shoes and coat were. “You know when we asked if you’d met Alex, you could have told us that you were dating him, you know?”

Y/N turned around so that she could see the woman in the living room who stood with her arms crossed and an amused smile on her face. “I know, I just didn’t know what we really were then. But, we’re going steady and I’m really happy.” 

“He’s such a lovely boy. And you two are suited so well.” 

“Thank you. I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

“Bye Y/N.”

As Y/N walked down the path and turned to the left so that she could walk the short distance to her house next door, she saw Alex walking toward her with a smile. He took longer strides when he caught sight of her, the sound of his shoes hitting the path being heard even from meters away. Y/N could see two bouquets of flowers in his hands, one white and one lilac and she couldn’t help but notice the growing grin that adorned his face. A white shirt sat on his body underneath a brown sweater vest and he paired it with a pair of trousers which were also brown in colour and only a shade lighter than the vest. His feet were adorned with shiny, black dress shoes and his hair was swept perfectly from his face. He looked handsome as ever and Y/N found her knees growing somewhat weak as she watched him get closer to her. 

When he was close enough to her, he lifted the bouquet of white gardenias from his hand-the same bouquet he had given her the first time he’d gone to her house-and handed them over. His hand brushed against hers and left her smiling wider if that were even possible. It baffled her, how the softest of touches from him could cause her to grow so giddy. There was very little he did that didn’t cause her to turn to jelly around him, and she had to do her absolute best to get herself together when he was close by. 

“These are beautiful, thank you.” 

“Just like you.” 

Her cheeks grew warm at the comment, and she had to turn away to hide the smile on her face. She wordlessly walked up the path toward her own home, Alex close behind her. His breathing could be heard by Y/N and she knew that he must have been nervous to meet her parents properly for the first time since they started dating. She turned on her heel to face him as they got to the front door, giving him a sympathetic smile as he breathed a laugh at her. He knew that he must have looked silly for being so nervous, but he couldn’t help it. It was the first time he’d ever fully ‘met the parents’ and he was well and truly bricking it. Y/N knew that he’d be okay with her family for they hadn’t stopped talking about him since they met him for the first time. 

“I know it’s nerve wracking but they really do like you so much already.” 

“I know, it’s just all new territory for me. I’ve never had dinner with someone’s parents before.” Y/N took a step closer to Alex, leaving their chests almost flush as she looked at him gently. 

“I’ll tell you a little secret, my parents already like you more than they liked George.” Alex lifted his eyebrows up in surprise. “I heard them talking about it a couple of nights ago. George would never apologise for having me home late, especially when it was my fault.” 

“I meant what I said…it’s my duty to have you home by the time your father requested and we spent too much time talking. Not that I mind though, I wish I could spend every waking minute with you.” Alex spoke so gently that Y/N could feel herself melting at his words. “We should probably head inside though, before your father decides that he doesn’t actually like me.” 

They both let out laughs before Y/N pushed the front door open to the smell of a beef stew coming from the kitchen at the back of the house. The quiet sound of Frank Sinatra could be heard from the living room and Alex already felt at home. He’d missed living in a house with both of his parents, his mother cooking dinner in the kitchen while his father listened to music and read in the living room with a glass of brandy. It left a pang in his heart, knowing that he’d no longer get the feeling of walking into a house with both of his parents. Their separation had been hard on him and he hadn’t fully recovered from it, often wishing that they had managed to work through their differences and stuck together but he knew that wasn’t going to happen. 

Richard was the first to enter the hallway when he had heard his daughter and Alex chatting she they pushed their shoes from their feet and hung up their jackets. “Ahh I thought I heard you two out here. You’re home late, Y/N.” 

“Yeah, Glenne got back late. Alex here was already walking down the street as I left so I waited outside for him.” She hugged her father before he shook Alex’s hand firmly, Matilda walking through the kitchen door with her apron still around her body and the warmest of smile on her face. “Mum! Dinner smells lovely.” 

“Thank you, angel! Alex, dear. So lovely to see you again.” Matilda hugged the boy before taking the flowers that he offered her with a thank you. “These are beautiful. Y/N, can you come and help me finish dinner please? Your father and Alex can talk in the living room while they wait.” 

Y/N nodded and turned to Alex with a smile. “Dinner won’t be too long.” 

“Okay, see you soon.” He kissed her cheek before following her father into the living room. Matilda looked to her daughter with wide eyes and a shocked expression. 

“Did he just?” Y/N simply nodded, pulling her bottom lip between her teeth just like she did anytime she felt somewhat happy. “That’s so amazing! I’m so happy that you’ve found someone so lovely.” 

“Me too. He knows about George and last year. I somehow didn’t manage to scare him off so I think he might be with us for a long time.” Matilda loved how open her daughter was being about her growing relationship with Alex, having never known her be so vocal when she was dating-or even engaged to-George. “I really like him, mum.” 

“I can tell. Just by the way you look at one another. The stew is pretty much ready, by the way. I just need you to prepare the peach crumble.” Y/N nodded, pulling an apron over her head and tying it behind her waist before washing her hands. 

“I’m so sad that I didn’t have time to clean myself up before Alex got here. The boys next door have got chocolate down my trousers but it’s too late to clean up now.” 

Y/N spoke to her mum as she made the crumble topping by mixing butter, flour and sugar before she layered the canned peaches into the dish she was using. When she had finished that, she sprinkled a thick layer of the crumble top onto the fruit and nodded at her handy work as she wiped her hands on the apron. Peach crumble was one of her favourite desserts as it was quick and easy to do, and tasted really good no matter what. 

“If he truly likes you, he’ll not care that you’re covered in chocolate from the kids. And let’s be honest, he’s too busy watching you while you talk.” 

“Mum! Can you not?” Y/N shook her head playfully, placing the crumble in the oven at a low temperature so that it could cook while they were eating their stew. “Everything’s prepped, maybe we should go out there and save Alex from dad’s grilling.” 

Matilda agreed with her daughter, pulling her apron from her body and heading into the hallway toward the living room. Though she stopped in her tracks when she heard Richard ask Alex what his intentions were with Y/N. She ushered her daughter toward her with a finger to her lips and Y/N moved her head so that she could hear how Alex was replying. 

“I really see a future with her, sir.” Y/N’s eyes widened as her mother turned to face her completely, eyes mirroring her daughters. “I see myself marrying her and I see her as the mother of my children. No one else has ever made me feel this lucky before. She’s the sweetest, loveliest girl I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing.” Alex’s words left Y/N a little teary eyed and as Matilda saw her daughter getting emotional, she pulled her into her body and held her tightly, swaying them softly as she did. Matilda could count on one hand how many times she’d seen her daughter cry over a boy but none of those were happy tears. 

“He truly adores you, Y/N.” She was unable to form any words, a squeal leaving her before she had time to process anything. Though when she realised what she’d done, she jumped up out of her mother’s grasp and clamped her hand over her mouth with wide eyes. “Come on, silly goose, let’s go sit down for a little before dinner is ready to eat.” 

*** 

“Come on, I’ll walk you to the bottom of the garden.” Alex had already said his goodbyes to Richard and Matilda. He’d thanked Matilda numerous times for the lovely meal that she had prepared, and thanked Richard for introducing him to a new type of alcohol that Y/N really didn’t pay attention to the name of. It was almost 10 pm before Alex was leaving the Y/L/N’s house, their meal ending three hours prior but they had been sitting in the living room listening to music and talking about all kinds of things. 

“Thank you.” Y/N nodded as she pulled her right shoe on. “Thank you again, Mr and Mrs Y/L/N. Tonight has been lovely.” 

“Please, son, call us Richard and Matilda.” Y/N could feel her lips turn up into a smile at her dad’s words, her hand reaching to her side to squeeze at her mums quickly. 

As Alex pulled his shoes onto his feet, Y/N grabbed a cardigan to wrap around her body tightly. The air outside was a lot colder than it had been during the day as the clouds in the sky were shielding any residual heat from the day gone by. She walked a step behind Alex as he made his way toward the garden gate. The sun had set completely and had been replaced with the moon, a half circle high in the sky that lit up the world beneath it. Alex’s hair was highlighted perfectly in it’s light, and Y/N could just about make out the little curls that were trying to make themselves known in the mass of brown. 

It was eerily quiet outside, the only sounds being the trees rustling around them and a dog a couple of houses down barking randomly. Even in the depths of summer there was always noise on the street so for there to be almost none was unnerving. Though being with Alex made it appear normal for she was solely focussed on him and the way he literally spun around on his heel to look at her. He almost fell over and Y/N found herself chuckling at him as she placed her hand on his arm to try and steady him. 

“Careful, button.” 

“Button?” Alex lifted his eyebrows at Y/N’s use of nickname, curiosity filling his entire being. 

Y/N nodded, smile threatening to take over her entire face. It was as though when she was around him her lips were unable to stay in a straight line. They had to be turned up at the corners at all times. “Yeah, Button. You always wear button down shirts so it’s fitting.” 

“Well then if you’re calling me button, I hereby dub you, Peaches.” It was Y/N’s turn to furrow her eyebrows, her arms wrapping the cardigan tighter around her body to shield the cold. “Because you happened to make the best peach crumble I have ever tasted.” 

“Thank you…for coming for dinner. It was truly wonderful spending more time with you.” Y/N spoke gingerly, her eyes moving from Alex’s to the ground where their feet sat. She didn’t know why she had grown so nervous suddenly but she had, her eyes not being able to meet his suddenly. 

“There’s no need to thank me. I’ve had an amazing time and I need to thank you.” 

“Nonsense. As much as I would adore for you to stay here so we could talk more, it’s getting late and you should probably head home.” 

Alex nodded, pressing his lips to Y/N’s cheek as he had done when he first saw her that evening, before grabbing her hand and taking a single step back. As he continued to take steps back, their arms lifted slightly before their hands gradually become unconnected. The loss of contact left a weird feeling in the pit of Y/N’s tummy. A feeling she hadn’t felt before and never wanted to feel again. She felt empty, completely at a loss by not having him by her side. There were no words to describe how truly mesmerised she was by Alex, and how even after only knowing him for a month, she felt as though she’d known him for her entire life. He was already her other half and it was in that moment when she realised that her feelings for him were a hell of a lot stronger than she had first thought them to be.

Y/N watched as Alex walked down the street toward his own house, the sound of his shoes clicking against the pavement echoed until he was almost out of sight. It was a sound that she would never tire of, it being both calming and exhilarating. The longer she listened to his shoes tapping against the pavement, the calmer she felt. She was convinced that even after he had rounded the corner and she could no longer see him, she would still be able to hear his shoes hitting the ground with each step. She was entranced by him, completely taken over by a powerful feeling that she’d never felt before. It was a feeling much stronger than she had ever encountered when she was engaged the previous year. Her entire body ached for him when they weren’t together. Ached for him in a way that had her heart rate increasing once more. Ached for a simple touch, a simple smile, a simple laugh. 

Her breathing had started to match his long, slow strides. Each time his left foot would tap against the pavement in front of him, she would inhale, letting her lungs fill up with air. Each time his right foot would tap against the pavement, she would exhale, closing her eyes momentarily to bask in her surroundings. It was when her eyes had fluttered closed that she realised something. His steps were like her very own metronome. Every time his shoe would sound against the pavement was like the soft clicking a metronome would produce to keep a musician in time with the music. It truly was music to her ears. 

*** 

**July 16th, 1939 **

The sea was calm, small waves lapping at the small sliver of sand not covered by the tide. The sun had started its descent and was partially hiding in the water, it reflecting the deep oranges and bouncing them onto every building in its wake. Seagulls were perched along the metal fence that separated the beach from the concrete pathway and only a couple of people were left strolling the sand. 

Alex and Y/N sat on one of the many black benches that lined the sea front, their thighs brushing against one others as they watched the water before them. It was calming, though not completely. A small child- no older than two years of age- was having a breakdown in the middle of the street because her mother refused to buy her an ice cream before dinner. At first the ordeal was funny to Y/N and Alex, but when the mum herself looked as though she was struggling to cope, with in one hand holding her daughter up and the other dug into her back at an awkward angle, they grew serious. 

“We really shouldn’t be laughing at this,” Y/N spoke casually, trying to stop the giggles from escaping her. 

“I’ll be right back,” Alex whispered in her ear, his voice soft, caramel-like almost, deep in all the right places, and oh so intoxicating. Y/N could listen to him speak all day if he’d let her. The way vowels fell so effortlessly from his tongue and dispersed into the air around him was enough for her to lean in a little closer. 

His breath fanned against the curves of her ear as he spoke and she had to bite her bottom lip to stop herself from giggling from it tickling her. The words echoed through her head and left every single hair that covered her body stood on edge, goosebumps following soon after. Just as the sound of his shoes tapping against the concrete pavements calmed her, having him speak in hushed tones did the same. 

Y/N watched as he walked away from her and toward the young mum who appeared to be even closer to a breakdown than she had moments prior. He approached the lady with a sympathetic smile and he gave the little girl a small wave. At first Alex was unsure as to whether the little girl was going to wave back, but when she lifted her chubby little hand he couldn’t help but smile wider, his dimple visible even from meters away. 

“Hello, Miss. I’m Alex. The girl on the bench,” Alex pointed to Y/N and she smiled with another wave, placing her drink back in her bag, “and myself saw you struggling and I wondered if you needed any help. He could clearly see the relief wash over her face. 

“Is there any chance you could hold my daughter? I’m struggling to find her drink and she really needs one.” 

As Alex lifted the little girl out of her mother’s arms and rested her upon his left hip, Y/N watched as he held her onto his body with his left hand and moved his right hand to the skirt of her floral dress so that he could smooth it out and drape it over her legs to stop the cool sea breeze from hitting them too much. 

“Hey little lady, what’s your name?” Alex spoke softly, and Y/N could hear from her place on the bench. The words ‘little lady’ fell from his lips so effortlessly then as they had when Y/N bumped into him and Y/N felt her heart flutter at the sound. She stood herself up from the bench, brushing her trousers down and stalking over to Alex and the little girl just as the little girl was replying. 

“Aura.” She mumbled, piercing blue eyes meeting Alex’s green ones. She smiled at him, a little dimple smile that left Alex’s heart dropping ever so slightly. He couldn’t wait until the day he was able to have his own children, hold them on his hip and never put them down again. He hoped that they would look like him, but still look like their mum too. He hoped that they would share his interests, and his love of life. Though, he also hoped that he’d be lucky enough to call Y/N the mother of his children. 

“Aurora, darling.” Her mum interjected. “She hasn’t quite grasped the full name yet.” 

Y/N and Alex chuckled, and Aurora gripped onto Alex’s index finger tightly, shaking it around and giggling as she did. “She’s adorable,” Y/N quipped playfully as the very tips of her fingers tickled the little girl lightly. 

“She is when she isn’t having a meltdown because she wants ice cream.” Lo and behold, the little girl’s cheeks were red and blotchy, two white stains from her tears streaming down them at lightning pace. She kept sniffling too, little whines leaving her as she calmed down in the hold of Alex. “It doesn’t help that I can’t seem to find the bottle of water she had been drinking.” 

It took less than a second for Y/N to reach into her bag and pull her bottle of water out, “I’ve only had one little sip from this one. You can have it for her if you’d like?” Once again, relief washed over the woman’s face as she smiled with a small nod. 

“Thank you so much.” 

“Honestly, it’s no problem.” Y/N lifted the bottle of water to Aurora’s mouth, letting her sip at it gently before pulling it away and putting the cap back on. She handed the water to her mum with a smile. “Anything I can do to help.” 

“I should probably get baby girl home and to bed.” Alex nodded, passing the little girl back to her mum who held her a little tighter, tilting her head to look at her. “Thank you for your help, it means so much.” 

“It was our pleasure. Bye bye, sleepy girl.” Alex whispered softly when he saw Aurora’s eyes fluttering closed before looking back up to her mum. “Have a safe walk home, won’t you?” 

“I will. Goodbye.” 

With that, the two girls were walking away. Well, the mum (Alex was a little sad he never got the woman’s name) was walking while Aurora was getting a lovely lift home. Y/N turned to Alex with the largest grin, gripping his hand in hers as they turned to walk back to the bench they had been occupying before. 

“Come on, I’ll get you another drink seeing as though you were lovely enough to share yours with Aurora.” Alex offered gently, smiling when Y/N smiled at him in thanks. 

“You were a natural with her, holding her on your hip like that.” Y/N couldn’t help but imagine what it would be like when she had her own children. She hoped that their dad would be a hands on dad like hers was, always willing to step in and look after the kids when he was home. She hoped that they would look like their father, so that she could always see him when she looked at them. Though, she did also hope that her children would resemble her at least a little. 

“I love kids. Can’t wait until I can have my own.” 

“Me too.” 

*** 

The sun had hidden itself behind a cloud and left a harsh breeze coursing through Lost Bay. It left the tips of Y/N and Alex’s noses a little red and freezing cold, their ears feeling no better. Even though it was the middle of June and it should have been warm out, it felt like it was the middle of December, when the wind is continuously hitting ones cheeks and leaving the harshest of stinging pains. The kind of pain that leaves your eyes a little watery. 

“Thought it was going to be a little warmer than this. Sorry peach,” Alex whispered softly as Y/N sipped her water with shaky hands. She instantly regretted her decision to only wear a thin cardigan that day. 

“It’s okay, button, really. Doesn’t matter how cold it is, as long as I get to be with you.” The nicknames that they had donned one another with were still new to them and they often found themselves blushing at the sound. “I just want to spend time with you.” 

They sat on a bench a little further down the beach than the one they had sat on right at the beginning of their date. All of the seagulls had perched themselves on a singular beached boat that had been abandoned years prior and had never been moved. The blue paint was flaking off apart from the area where there was some white paint. ‘4 11 91 00’ sat in white writing on the very side of the boat, and both Y/N and Alex (without verbally communicating their thoughts) became curious as to what journey the boat had been on and why the numbers were chosen for it. In the middle of the boat, was a stump where a net clearly used to be, though all of the ropes and nets from it had long gone and it served as the perfect reminder to everyone who saw it to take care of the things that they loved and that a little TLC would go a long way. 

At the docks a five minute walk away, each of the boats that sat in it were brightly coloured and very clearly full of love. Some of them were a little more worn out but the majority of them were brand new, the complete opposite of the one Alex and Y/N were sat near as they sat together. The boat on the beach looked tired, no, it looked exhausted. It looked as though it had had a long life and was starting to show its age. The white paint of the numbers contrasted against the greying clouds that sat above them, and the light blue paint of the main body contrasted against the dark blue of the ocean that brushed against it as the waves rolled onto the shore. Though what really stood out to Y/N specifically was the stripe of bright yellow that sat at the very top of the boat. It shone so much brighter than the sun and she couldn’t stop the little smile that found its way to her face. 

Alex knew that if he didn’t ask Y/N what he wanted to there and then, he would chicken out and wind up never asking her and he would regret that for the rest of his life. He was hyper-aware that it was going to sound like the most random thing in the world but after seeing how worn out the boat looked, he felt as though he needed to pour love into them so they wouldn’t tarnish like the boat had. 

“So I’ve been thinking and…um…I’d really like it if we could become boyfriend and girlfriend.”

It was silent for a few seconds, well apart from the waves as they continued to crash against the shore. The statement had caught Y/N off guard. Of course it did, she hadn’t expected Alex to ask her to be his girlfriend. Since the day she met Alex, she had wondered what it would be like to be in a relationship with him and how he would ask her. Never had she expected it to be that way, and so casually spoken. Never in her wildest dreams did she expect him to actually ask her, let alone seem so nervous to do so. 

The hand that was holding hers grew clammy quickly and the fingers on his other hand were grasping at his lips in anxiousness. Y/N tried to calm his nerves by squeezing his hand in hers a little tighter. But words failed her. She couldn’t hear herself think over the thumping of her heart in her chest. The sounds echoed throughout her head and she felt her breathing pick up with each passing second. 

“There’s no pressure though. I completely understand if you don’t want to-” 

“I’d love to be your girlfriend, Alex.” 

***

**August 18th, 1939 **

“Mum! Can you hurry up?” Alex almost shouted, instantly stopping and smiling sweetly, “Please?” 

Florence was stood in the kitchen with her son as he placed a tea towel over the perfectly roasted beef so that it could rest for a while before Y/N arrived for dinner. She had made the table for Alex as he had absolutely no etiquette skills and would have ruined the entire thing. And he was grateful for her help, of course he was, but he knew Y/N was bound to arrive at least fifteen minutes early and he couldn’t have his mother stood in the kitchen with him when she did arrive. 

When Alex has found out that his girlfriend’s birthday was close, he had invited her around for a roast dinner to celebrate and she had accepted straight away. That was when he had started to panic. She was his first girlfriend and he wanted it to be perfect. He refused to ruin her 19th birthday celebrations with a rubbish dinner. 

“Okay, okay. I’m done now anyway.” Florence spoke as she removed the apron from around her body, passing it to her son who promptly put it on. “Oh, and don’t forget-“ 

“-The vegetables need to go on twenty minutes before we eat. I’ve got it, mum.” Alex uttered. He looked up to his mum with the shyest of grins, both excitement and nerves playing chase around his whole body. One second he would be overly excited at having his girlfriend round for the first time ever where he’d get to celebrate her birthday, and the next he would be a big pile of nerves with clammy hands and shaky breaths. There had been no in between since the moment he woke up that morning and he was sure that he wouldn’t calm down until he was back in his bed ready to sleep. Well, that was if everything went to plan. 

“Good luck, baby boy.” Alex embraced his mum and held her a little tighter to show his thanks. He’d never had a way with words and would often show his appreciation through touches and hugs. His mum never cared for she loved holding her son. 

When Alex pulled away he watched as his mother pulled an envelope from her handbag, placing it on top of the card he had bought for Y/N and so carefully written inside. “Make sure you give this to Y/N please. I couldn’t not get her a card.” 

“I’ll make sure she gets it, mum. But please can you go already? I don’t want you here when she gets here.” Alex shooed his mum out of the house, locking the door behind her and letting out a large exhale. “God, Alex. You only have to cook some vegetables. It’s not like you can burn anything.” 

He was beyond nervous. In fact, he was sure that he was more nervous to have Y/N around for dinner than he had been the day he went to her house and spoke to her father for the first time. His hands seemed to be forever clammy when he was around, or waiting to be around, Y/N and his heart rate increased tenfold. Even though Y/N had been his girlfriend for two months, every time he saw her felt like the first time he was seeing her all over. It was as though the butterflies that resided in his tummy were constantly fluttering around. 

*** 

Y/N left her house at exactly 5:30pm, wanting to get to her boyfriend’s house earlier than anticipated just in case he needed any help with finishing the dinner that he had prepared. When Alex had asked her to have dinner, she had found herself smiling. Alex was already far greater than her previous boyfriend, and he was the first person to ever invite her over for dinner. She was beyond excited, her nerves trying to get the better of her but the fresh air that hit her face as she walked through the well lit streets toward Alex’s house. 

Her black coat was hanging over her forearm as her heels clicked against the floor beneath her. She’d decided to wear her favourite yellow dress that had daisies embroidered all over it. She knew that Alex would like it because he’d often told her that he liked when she wore yellow–it made her look even more than the sunshine than she did already. Her feet were clad in a pair of high heels and her hair was curled perfectly at her shoulders. The only reason she had picked her coat up was in case it was cold when she was walking home later that evening. 

It didn’t take her long to get to Alex’s house, though she’d had to look at every house number as she walked past to make sure that she hadn’t missed it. Pocket Handkerchief Lane as one of the longest streets in Lost Bay but it was also one of the nicer areas of the town. Each house was made of brick, the front gardens being beautifully looked after and the driveways being pebbled. When Y/N walked up to Alex’s house, she couldn’t help but notice how much nicer than the other houses on the street were. 

His front door was of a duck egg blue colour, and had a white trim that merged into a small window at the side of it. An archway sat around the door and created slight shelter from the elements. Ivy grew up the brick wall and even trailed over toward the garage that was attached to the house. Y/N wondered if there was a car in the garage and if there wasn’t, what was it filled with? The garden itself was full of greenery and the only flowers came from the pots that sat by the front door. They were purple and oh so welcoming. The driveway itself was pebbled with the smoothest of pebbles and they crunched under her feet as she stepped over them. Alex’s house was the kind of house that one wanted to live in, the type of house that one would want to bring their children up in. 

Three loud knocks caused Alex’s ears to perk up from the kitchen. He put the cover back on the pan of carrots and wiped his hands down the front of his apron before pulling it from his body. He threw it onto the worktop before walking through the house toward the front door. His jaw visibly dropped when he pulled the wooden door open, his eyes immediately scanning their way down Y/N’s body. He tried his best not to let them linger, forcing himself to let them meet hers which appeared a tad bit more brighter than normal. 

“Hi,” he breathed, smiled not leaving his face. 

“Hey.” Y/N replied as she stepped past Alex and into his house. In her heels she was almost the same height as him so she found it easier to press her lips to his cheek. As Alex pushed the door closed, she put her coat on the coat hooks and turned around to him. The inside of Alex’s house was much like what she had imagined. Well, the hallway was all she could see but it was still what she had imagined. The floor of the hallway was dark and matched the spindles of the staircase perfectly. Next to the door sat a mahogany dresser which was scattered with picture frames filled with family photos and a floor-length mirror sat at the bottom of the stairs and opened up the narrow hallway perfectly. 

“Happy birthday, peach.” Alex pressed his own lips to Y/N’s cheek as he held her close to him in a hug. “How was yesterday?” 

Y/N toed her shoes from her feet as she smiled up at Alex once more. It was though her lips were unable to relax when he was around. “It was really lovely, thank you. My mum made a cake and we spent the day at the beach with my extended family.” Y/N spoke softly as she followed Alex into the kitchen where the smell of a roast dinner filled her nostrils. “Would have much preferred to be with you though.” 

Y/N didn’t miss the smirk that made its way to Alex’s face as he bent down to the oven to pull the homemade yorkshire puddings out. They looked delectable and she couldn’t wait to sink her teeth into them. “You would have?” 

Y/N merely nodded with a shy smile as Alex teetered over number pots and pans, and even though he tried his best to not look flustered, he was struggling majorly. The steam from the pans was causing condensation over the kitchen window she he stalked over to open it, but by the time he’d got there the pans were starting to bubble over so he had to run back. 

“Alex, do you need any help?” 

“No, it’s okay! Your birthday, you don’t help out. You can go into the lounge and relax if you’d like.” Y/N shook her head, leaning her body against the door frame and watching as Alex continued to potter around the kitchen. 

Her head turned to the right where she saw the dining room through the double doors. The table was sat in the middle of the room and was set beautifully. White plates sat atop red cloth place mats and there was shiny cutlery at the sides of them. Two glasses sat at each placemat, a wine glass and a water glass also. Florence had put the plates at seats opposite one another when she laid the table and Alex had enjoyed the thought of being able to see her face while they ate so much that he hadn’t changed it. 

“Shit!” Alex’s voice left Y/N’s head whipping back around to the kitchen and she had to grab her neck from the pain she caused herself. Alex had lifted the pan of what appeared to be carrots off of the hob and dropped it into the sink, running his right hand down his face as he did. 

“What happened, button?” 

“I burnt the fucking carrots! All I had to do was keep an eye on them for twenty bloody minutes and I couldn’t even do that.” Alex left the pan in the sink while he turned the rest of the hobs off, making sure that nothing else was burnt. “Had my mum come and cook dinner because I can’t cook for the life of me and I still manage to burn something.” When he realised that he’d let the secret slip, he turned to Y/N who had her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. 

“You-you got your mum to cook us dinner?” Alex let out a fake sob as he walked over to her where she grabbed his hands, rubbing her thumbs over his palms softly. His skin was still soft despite his job as an engineer. 

“I just wanted to do something nice so I invited you for dinner and then remembered that I can’t cook. But I didn’t want to cancel on you and have you thinking that I’m incapable. Didn’t want to disappoint you.” 

Y/N couldn’t quite believe what she was hearing. He thought that he would disappoint her if he’d told her he couldn’t cook? 

“You wouldn’t have disappointed me, oh goodness. Why ever would you think that?” Alex couldn’t look her in the eye, too afraid to tell her the truth. 

“I just assumed that you would be.” 

“I would never! You didn’t have to cook my dinner though. We could have done what we normally do and I’d be happy. As long as I get to spend time with you.” Y/N’s words pulled at Alex’s heart strings and he couldn’t help but smile at her as she swung their arms gently. They were rather warm stood in the kitchen which was still hot from the food but they didn’t care, they were together. 

“I didn’t want to do what we normally do though. This is your birthday celebration, it has to be special.” 

“It’s always special when I’m with you.” 

***

“Thank you so much for dinner, button. Made my birthday extra special.” Y/N pulled her shoes onto her feet before grabbing her longline black coat from the coat rack that sat at the bottom of his staircase. 

The meal truly had made her birthday celebrations amazing. Sure, she had enjoyed the day prior–her actual birthday–with her family having a picnic at the beach, but there was something about being in the presence of Alex while eating one of her favourite meals that made it so much better. 

Alex himself pulled his own coat from the rack and Y/N looked at him curiously. “If you think I’m letting you walk home on your own when it’s getting dark out then you are sorely mistaken.” 

“But that means you have to walk me back to my house and then walk all the way back here and that’s just wasting energy. You should go to bed.” Alex ignored Y/N’s words and instead put his own shoes on, wrapping his coat around his body and grabbing his house keys so that he could lock up. “Alex, I mean it. I can walk home on my own.” 

“You might be able to, but as the boyfriend it is my job to protect you. And if that means walking you home at 9:30 at night then that’s what I will do.” 

Rather than walking the shorter way back to Y/N’s house, the couple decided to take a detour through the park, smiling when they saw an older couple sat at the bench that Y/N had taken Alex to for the first time only months prior. The couple had their hands clasped between them and held the brightest of smiles on their faces. Y/N was in awe of them just with a single look, their energies radiating and drawing her in. 

Unlike the boat which had tarnished with age from not being well loved, the couple had aged flawlessly. It was evident that they had put a lot of time and energy into their relationship and the younger couple found themselves wondering about their life. They wondered how they had met and how quickly they had fallen in love. They wondered how the proposal had gone down and whether there had been family around them to celebrate straight away. They wondered if they had any children and if so, how many they had and what they were called. 

The couple was like the boat in some ways. Y/N could tell just by looking at them that they had gone through a journey together but she couldn’t tell what just by watching them. Alex watched her smile at the couple before she lifted her hand up and waved, a small, “Hello” leaving her lips quietly. 

“Hello,” the older woman on the bench replied, smiling just the same way that Y/N had at her. 

The older couple watched Y/N and Alex walk away, their hands clasped between them as they strolled through the park. Y/N was laughing at something Alex had said and her head was tilted all the way back. Even in the darkening outside light, Alex’s dimples were fully on display and it made the older couple smile. 

“Remember when we were like that, gorgeous?” The husband asked softly, his lips meeting his wife’s cheek sloppily. “Seems like forever ago.” 

“It was forever ago, my love.” The couple chuckled together gently as they watched the couple who reminded them so much like themselves walk away. “I love you so much.” 

“I love you too.” 

***

When Alex and Y/N stepped into her garden, they turned so that they were facing one another. They both held the smiles on their faces that they had since the day they had met. Alex pulled Y/N into her and pressed his lips to the top of her head softly, needing to have body contact with her in any possible way. 

“Thank you, again. I’ve had the nicest evening in your company.” 

“You are more than welcome, peach. We’re still on for Sunday, yeah?” Y/N nodded, already getting giddy at the thought of seeing him again for their weekly date night. The couple couldn’t get enough of one another, and would count the days until they could see one another again. It had been hard to begin with, balancing their working lives, family lives and their relationship but they soon decided that Sunday evenings would be for one another. There were times in the week where they would see each other also but if not, they had their Sunday’s. 

They would always have their Sundays. 

***

**September 3rd, 1939 **

“I am speaking to you from the cabinet room of 10 Downing Street. This morning, the British Ambassador in Berlin handed the German government a final note…stating that unless we heard from them by 11 o’clock that they were prepared at once to withdraw their troops from Poland, a state of war would exist between us. I have to tell you now, that no such undertaking has been received, and that consequently, this country is at war with Germany.” 

All emotions left Y/N as Neville Chamberlain broadcast the declaration of war on Germany over the radio. His voice was gruff and gravely, as though he was scared to tell the entirety of the country that they were going to war. He had gone through a long journey of creating peace but it had failed. He had failed to bring peace and instead had to declare war. 

Y/N was sat in the living room with her parents when she heard the announcement, Matilda sitting next to Richard while she sat on the singular chair across from them. Richard was sitting forward on the sofa, his elbows resting on his knees and his head in his hands while Matilda latched herself onto him. Y/N sat opposite them on her father’s chair, her legs crossed underneath her while she bit at one of the nails on her right hand. Her eyes remained glued on the small radio that sat on the desk near the window the entire time, the news she was hearing not quite processing fully. There were so many thoughts running through her head. 

_Britain was at war with Germany? _

_What was going to happen?_

_Would her family be okay? _

_Would that mean her dad would have to fight? _

_Would that mean Alex would have to fight? _

Alex. 

As soon as Alex had entered her mind, she couldn’t think of anything else. In that moment she didn’t care that her parents were trying to get her attention, she didn’t care that the country was going to war and she didn’t care that she was whispering to herself. All she could focus on was the deafening beating of her heart in her ears, her chest rising and falling at a rapid pace and the way her eyes stung with the threat of tears. There was a rather large lump sitting at the base of her throat and she could feel her bottom lip quivering as the first hot, salty tear fell from her eye. 

Within seconds she was sobbing, tears running down her face at lightning speed. She struggled to breathe, her throat closing up as she started to hyperventilate. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t calm herself down, not even when Matilda rested her hands on her knees and tried to get her attention. All Y/N could do was shake her head, not wanting to hear what her mum wanted to tell her. 

She wanted to see Alex. 

No, she _needed_ to see him. 

“Y/N? Baby? Listen to me for a minute.” Through her tear filled eyes, Y/N could just about make out her mum kneeling in front of her. “Y/N…you need to tell me what’s the matter.” 

“W-war…Alex…fight.” She couldn’t get her words out, her breathing still incredibly harsh and causing her to stammer. Somehow her mother knew what she was trying to say and simply pulled her daughter into her body in a comforting hug. 

Y/N started to shake uncontrollably in her mother’s arms, sobs becoming louder and heart aching more and more. The sight of her daughter in such a state left Matilda with tears streaming down her face. Never before had she seen her daughter so torn up, and she knew that it wasn’t all about the fact that Britain was going to war.

“You really love the boy, don’t you?” Richard spoke up from his seat, watching as his daughter looked at him with swollen red eyes and a big pout on her face. She barely managed a nod before she was sobbing into her mother’s shoulder once more. 

Of course she loved Alex. How could she not love him? He was the most perfect person to her. She hadn’t admitted it to anyone before because she was too scared to. She was scared to admit that she loved Alex because she would have to admit to herself that she didn’t truly love George. She was merely in love with the idea of being in love. But she was truly, completely in love with Alex. Everything about him drew her in and she never wanted to know what a life without him by her side would be like. Which is why the thought of him leaving her to fight in the war, and the possibility that he’d never get back to her…the thought that she’d have to live out the rest of her life without him by her side, hurt her more than she ever thought possible.

***

It had been an agonising day for everyone, but Y/N felt as though her heart had already shattered into a million pieces. Her entire day was spent in the same position on her father’s chair, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders and her eyes fluttering closed every now and then. Richard and Matilda let her spend her day there, not asking her to help out or do anything. Her eyes stung from the tears that had poured from them that morning, and she had found herself sniffling and hiccuping all day after. She had lost count of the amount of times she had fallen to sleep that day, the only sounds in the house being her parent’s whispers from the kitchen and the soft voices of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers playing through the turntable near her. 

The clock on the table appeared to have stopped completely, only a minute or two having passed each time Y/N’s eyes landed upon it. It disturbed her, knowing that there was a chance that evening could have been one of the last times she would see Alex, the man that she was so incredibly in love with. She couldn’t bare to lose him and she had been counting down the hours until he would be at her house ready to pick her up for their date. When Alex had turned up at the house, Y/N’s ear perked slightly and she could hear him and her father talking in the hallway. 

As soon as Alex saw the state that Y/N was in, he walked over to her quickly and knelt down before her, pulling her into his body for a bone crushing hug that she so gladly accepted. For her first time that day, she removed her hands from underneath the blanket that was covering her. She wrapped her arms around Alex and held him close, sniffling into his shoulder as the tears started to fall once more. 

“Shh, I’m here, peach. I’m here.” Alex’s hand rubbed up and down Y/N’s back to try and soothe her but it wasn’t much use. Her hands had moved from his back to his front where she bunched his shirt in her hands and tugged it toward her. She relished the feel of the hard buttons digging into the skin of her palms, little circles bound to appear when she let go. He smelled good too, warm and inviting. It was a scent she wished she could bottle up and keep with her forever. When Alex tried to pull away, she pulled him into her more. “Hey, hey. Look at me for a minute.” 

When Y/N finally allowed him to pull away, she noticed the creases that had formed in his once crisp white shirt and the way his brow creased the same was as he looked at her with nothing but concern. She was sure that she looked a mess, her hair having been smushed into the material of the chair all day, her eyes red and puffy from crying and her bottom lip swollen from bitting at it with anxiety. 

“You do realise that I don’t have to fight, right?” Alex thought telling her would make her smile, but instead she let out an almighty sob. All of the weight that had been piling on top of her all day, all of the scenarios that she had made up in her head, disappeared and she was so relieved. Her tears had turned from tears of woe to tears of happiness within a mere second. “I’ve already got an important job here, I’m not going to be fighting.” 

Y/N still didn’t trust her words so she stood up from her seat, her legs a little wobbly from not being used all day, pulling Alex up with her before she wrapped her arms around his neck and held him extra tight. They stood in the middle of the living room in one another’s arms for what felt like an eternity before Richard and Matilda walked in. Y/N turned to them with a smile–a smile that left her mother almost crying in happiness. 

“He doesn’t have to fight! He’s staying here.” Her voice was raspy and somewhat harsh but she didn’t care. Alex was staying and she couldn’t be happier. She turned back to face him with teary eyes as she brought one hand to cup his jaw and her thumb reached up to delicately stroke his cheekbone. “You’re staying here.” 

“I’m staying here. You won’t get rid of me that easily, angel.”

“I was so scared this morning. Thought I was going to lose you and-” Alex silenced her with a finger to her lips, bringing his lips to her cheek where he kissed softly before moving them to her ear so he could whisper to her. 

“You’re never going to lose me, I _promise_.”

Richard and Matilda sat on the sofa and watched as the young couple started to sway to the music playing throughout the room. Y/N didn’t care that her parents were watching for she truly felt like Alex and herself were the only two people in the world. The same song they had danced to during their first date less than five months prior sounded from the single speaker of the turntable and Y/N felt her heart flutter. As Alex moved his right hand from Y/N’s waist and gripped onto hers to hold by their sides, Y/N thought about how much her life had changed in such a short period of time. 

Five months before, she didn’t know Alex at all and she was baffled while trying to remember life without him. From the moment they met, he infiltrated every part of her. He was always on her mind, and if she wasn’t directly thinking about him, she would see or hear something that would remind her of him and she would find herself smiling. She had gone from feeling like she was never going to find love again to being the most in love she had ever been. 

Alex brought out the best in her and she was so thankful for him. He didn’t care about her past or that she’d lived her life the way that wasn’t necessarily ‘the right way’. He cared about her… all of her. The only thing he wanted was for her to feel safe and comfortable around him. He wanted her to feel loved. He loved her. 

Even when the music had stopped, they continued to sway with one another, their eyes locked and the faintest of smiles on their faces. Y/N’s parents had left the room shortly after their daughter had started to dance, not wanting to get in the way. They were just happy that she wasn’t as sad as she had been all day. 

“I mean it, you know,” Alex whispered as his forehead rested against Y/N’s, “you’re never going to lose me.” His breath fanned over the bottom half of her face and even with her eyes closed, she knew that Alex had a sad smile on his face. “I promise you with everything I am, and everything I have.” 

There was a moment after the last words had left him where he contemplated pressing his lips to hers. All he would have to do was tilt his head up a tiny bit and they would be touching. He wondered if they were as soft as they looked, and what they would taste like. For five months he had thought about kissing her, holding her cheeks in his hands and letting their lips meet in the softest form of affection. For five months he had wondered if she’d ever want to kiss him back.

He didn’t kiss her, though. 

He couldn’t. 

*** 

**November 5th, 1939**

Getting used to life while at war had been difficult on everyone, but if there was one person it had affected most it was Glenne. At the end of September, Jeff realised that there was more than likely going to be a shortage of men fighting in the military, and so he took it upon himself to join up—and he was scheduled to leave the following day. 

By the time the middle of October rolled around, two of the children that had been evacuated from London had moved into Glenne’s house and so by the time Y/N was able to head home, she was beyond exhausted and couldn’t see Alex before the blackout started. 

Jeff had been only a year under the age bracket for joining the military when he joined, and he and Glenne had argued all night when he told her that he was going. Y/N had been sat on her bed in her night dress when she’d heard the muffled shouts through the wall. 

_“How dare you do this without telling me! We’re meant to be in a marriage. We’re meant to talk to one another about potentially life changing decisions and you go and join the fucking army without telling me?” Glenne screamed. _

_“Glenne, darling, can we not shout? We’ll wake the boys up.” _

_Y/N had tried to ignore what she was hearing, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t block out the noise. _

_“I want to know why, why would you risk never seeing me or the children again when you don’t have to?” _

_“I’m doing it for you all! I’m going out there to fight for you all.” _

_“YOU’RE BEING FUCKING SELFISH, JEFF! You’re risking those boys spending the rest of their lives without a father! You’re risking never seeing them turn 10, 16, 18, 21! You’re risking never seeing them get married, or having children! You’re risking so fucking much and I hate you for it!” _

Jeff was gone the following morning and Glenne had spent the entire day crying and attempting to explain to the boys where their dad had gone. There was a chance she’d never see her husband again and some of the last words she’d spoken were spoken in anger. She didn’t know why he had been selfish, why he felt the need to leave the boys and why he felt the need to leave her. 

If she’d been telling the complete truth, the first time she saw Y/N and Alex after her husband had left, she felt a touch of resentment toward them. They were spending as much time together as they could while she was left with four children in the house on her own and no husband to help. She’d found herself having to spray Jeff’s cologne on his pillow and hugging it to get to sleep and more often than not, she’d cried herself to sleep. All she wanted was Jeff. 

With Jeff gone, Glenne was working more (almost double what she had been previously) and so consequently, Y/N was also working more. Alex has been extra busy at work also and it left the young couple only being able to see one another on a weekend. They were thankful that Lost Bay wasn’t a city and so there were very few air raids. There had only been a handful since September, and each one was enough to instil panic in everyone. 

The first one had been the scariest because no one quite knew what was expected of them. Sure they had been told how to go about it, but it was all new for a lot of people and there had been a lot of panic over the town. On the night of September 9th, the air raid siren rang throughout the town and woke every resident up. Y/N had tiptoed out of her bedroom, gas mask in one hand and dressing gown in the other. Her parents were already on the landing waiting for her and they all hurried out into the back garden and into their shelter. 

Matilda had filled it with light snacks and water just in case they were there for a while, and the entire time they were there, Richard had been trying to get a signal on the radio. Though he ultimately smacked it in annoyance and pushed it to the side, opting to sit with his family in frustration that he couldn’t get any information. That night was one of the longest and no one really knew how long they’d been in the shelter for. At some point, Y/N had fallen asleep but she had found it difficult as her mind wandered to Alex. She hoped that he had gotten into his shelter quickly and was safe. She hoped that he had taken the basket of granola bars and water down before the siren so that he could eat if he needed to. She was scared for him, and wished for nothing more than to be able to have him tell her that everything was going to be okay. 

Of course, much like his girlfriend, Alex had spent the entire time in his shelter worried. He hadn’t seen Y/N for a couple of days and he had missed her terribly. He had missed the way she smiled at him when she saw him, her tongue poking out from her lips as she did before her teeth pulled her bottom one into her mouth. He had missed the way her smaller hands fit in his larger ones and the way she refused to pull away even when their palms grew clammy. He had missed the way she smelled and the way she carried herself. 

That night, Alex made a list in his notebook of his favourite things about Y/N. He had gotten teary picturing her as he wrote, his pen flowing so easily over the paper on the desk. The list was only meant to hold a few things in it, but by the time he had begrudgingly told himself to stop there were four pages worth of things in front of him. Alex didn’t sleep that night for he was too caught up with worry for Y/N. 

*** 

**November 8th, 1939**

That night, Y/N was having dinner with Alex at his house (something that had become a regular occurrence for the couple). Though there was something different in the air around them. Y/N had noticed it when Alex had first opened the door, his smile not as big and his eyes not quite as bright as they usually were. His hug was a little tighter and lasted a little longer and he wasn’t rushing like they normally had to. 

Y/N toed her shoes off and placed them neatly on the rack where all of Alex’s shoes sat, and made sure to hang her coat up before walking into the kitchen behind Alex. He put his apron back on before checking the stew that he had prepared for the two of them to enjoy. Y/N had berated him for using a lot of his weekly rations on her when he had four full days of needing to eat to go still. He had, however, brushed her off softly, making her away of the fact that he that he had extra things from the week before that he could eat. It had taken quite a bit of convincing-and a back and forth which had them both a tad flustered-but she finally gave up with a playful shake of her head and sauntered into the dining room where she put their favourite album on. 

Once Alex had placed their food on the dining table, Y/N took it upon herself to take his hands in hers and pull him into her. “Dance with me.” 

“But the food…” 

“Come on, live a little. Just for this song, I promise. The food will still be there after.” Alex nodded and beamed at her, not understanding how happy it made her to see him fully smile. 

The music surrounded them, filling every tiny space of the room. It reverberated off the walls and through their heads. Y/N had one hand resting on Alex’s left shoulder, the material of his shirt soft to the touch, and the other clasped tightly with Alex’s. The feel of Alex’s hand resting on her waist left Y/N grinning up at him. He smiled back, pulling her a tiny bit closer to him as they danced slowly. Their attention never faltered, their eyes locked the entire time they moved. 

It truly felt as though they were the only two people in the world. Everyone else faded away and they felt as though they were on the outside looking in. They had never been as happy as they were in one another’s company. Their hearts beat in sync when they were together, turning two separate people into one singular unit. They made each other whole. 

As the song faded into the next, the pair reluctantly pulled away from one another. They didn’t speak as they sat down and they didn’t need to. They knew what the other was thinking. It was hard not to when they were so in love. Alex poured them both a glass of red wine that had been in the cellar for a while and he lifted his glass to the middle of the table, ushering Y/N to do the same. Still, no words were spoken and the sound of their glasses hitting together sounded over the music still playing. 

***

Halfway through his meal, Alex placed his knife and fork onto his plate in a cross formation, his eyes closing for a few seconds as he focussed on his breathing. “Can we have a chat about something?” 

“Sure, Button. Is everything okay?” Y/N copied Alex’s previous movements, placing her own knife and fork down and mentally groaning when she saw the handle of her fork land in the gravy on her plate. Not once in the seven months she had known him had Y/N seen Alex look so scared. His chest was heaving even though he was trying to calm himself down, his hands were fiddling with the table cloth that covered the table and his brows were furrowed. 

“I-I’ve spent a long time searching, you know.”

“For what?” Y/N spoke within seconds, not giving herself time to even think about what her boyfriend might have wanted to say to her. 

“Something worth living and dying for.” 

“Yeah?” 

“I’m really lucky I found it.” 

“Where’s this coming from?” Her own heart rate increased with each passing second, Alex taking longer to respond than he ever had. She could sense that something wasn’t right and it was as though she could see all of the thoughts he had floating around his head. The longer she looked at him, the harder it was to look at him. His eyes were staring at the wine glass in front of him rather than at her like they normally would have. 

It was as though he didn’t want to say anything. 

He didn’t. 

He was petrified to tell her.

He felt sick at the mere thought of telling her. The closer he got to saying the words he never thought he would have to say, the harder it was for him to talk. His eyes started to sting as tears threatened to spill. His bottom lip was quivering as he tried to compose himself. He let out a shaky breath as the first tear fell. 

“I have to go to war.”


	3. Part III

**November 8th, 1939   
**

“You-you…what?” Y/N’s voice was shakier than Alex’s had been when he had told her only seconds prior, and tears were already streaming down her face at an alarming rate. She didn’t want to believe the words she had heard. He couldn’t be serious. There was no way that he was actually going to be fighting, was there? He’d promised her that she wouldn’t lose him and it was near impossible for him to keep that promise if he did go to war. 

“I have to go to war,” Alex repeated his previous words. They left a bitter taste on his tongue and he started to feel sick again at the thought of going. He finally looked back up and to Y/N and his heart immediately dropped to the floor below him. His beautiful girlfriend sat across from him with tear-filled eyes and dry lips from the deep breaths she inhaled and exhaled over and over in hopes to calm her nerves. 

As she sniffled, she lifted her arm up to wipe her nose with the back of her hand. Some of her red lipstick transferred onto the sleeve of the cream material of the jumper Alex had given to her when it proved to be too small for him. Although she felt bad for more than likely staining the item of clothing, that was the last thing on her mind as the words finally sank in. 

The world around her had stopped completely, but not in the way she had been used to. She felt sick to her stomach and had to physically push her plate of half-eaten food away from her. The sound of her cutlery moving on the ceramic dish was deafening, even the music that had been playing stopped when Alex had uttered the words that would change their lives forever. Her eyes landed on the food in front of her and she had to hold in a gag at the thought of eating anything else. 

“But-but you were meant to be safe. Your job here is important, right?” Alex only nodded once, his eyes boring into hers as she finally looked at him. “So why in God’s name are you going?” 

“Peach-“ 

“Why, Alex?” 

She didn’t know how to feel. There were so many emotions rushing around her body–some of which she never knew existed–and none of them seemed to want to settle. One minute she felt incredibly sick and as though she would need to run to the bathroom, and the next she felt so indescribably panicked at the thought of losing Alex. Each passing second got worse. Her breathing was fast. So fast that she felt herself growing dizzy from the lack of oxygen settling in her lungs. 

“There’s a shortage of men and-“ 

“-and you felt the need to risk your life–our life together–when you don’t bloody have to?” Anger coursed through her veins. She felt selfish being angry at him but she couldn’t stop the feeling from overtaking her. It was like she was no longer in control of her own words…of her own body. 

“I’m doing this for you, Peach. I’m doing this for us. If I fight, I can be a part of making this world a better place for you. I have to fight…I have to protect you at all costs.” Alex reached his hand across the table and tried to hold Y/N’s hand but she rejected the gesture, pushing herself further back on her chair and averting her attention elsewhere. Looking at him would make things so much harder for her so she continued to look at the white table cloth in front of her. “Y/N…please talk to me.” 

“What is there to talk about, Alex? You’re about to head off into bleeding combat and I’m going to be stuck here worried sick about you!” Alex had never heard her swear before so for such a word to leave her left him shifting backwards in shock. “What if I never see you again?” Y/N’s voice grew gentle almost instantly, her eyes finally meeting his and filling with tears yet again. “What if when I say goodbye to you it’s the last time I ever get to see you? I’m not ready to live a life without you, Alex.” 

“You’re never going to have to live your life without me.” 

“But I am! You’re going to be gone and I’m going to be all on my own again.” Y/N had gone from being angry at her boyfriend, to so stupidly sad because she was scared. She didn’t want to lose him. “I can’t lose you.” 

Within seconds, Alex was kneeling on the floor in front of Y/N, her hands in his with her palms facing up. He pressed a kiss to the centre of each one before looking at her with the saddest of smiles. “You’re not going to lose me. I promise you that I’ll come home.” 

“Please…don’t make a promise you can’t keep.” That hurt Alex. He felt as though Y/N had absolutely no faith in him and didn’t believe that he would go home to her. 

“No, Y/N. I promise you that I’m coming home. Even if it kills me.” He regretted his choice of words as soon as he had said them, seeing Y/N scowl at him in annoyance. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. But I will be coming home. I’ll come back to you.” 

“I’m so scared.” Y/N’s voice was still shaky, and she continued to sniffle but she looked at him fully then, seeing just how scared he was himself. He may have been trying to contain just how terrified he was to be going to war, but she could see it in his eyes. No other words were needed to be said between the pair as Y/N guided Alex to stand up before she followed suit, wrapping her arms around his torso and burying her face into his neck. 

She breathed deeply in his arms, hoping that it wouldn’t be one of the last times she would get to inhale his scent, feeling her entire body relax within a millisecond. She relished in the feel of his shirt against her hands, the crisp material allowing her to feel the heat from his back underneath it. She let herself fall into the hug as he pulled her even closer to his body. Alex’s arms wrapped around her shoulders and held her firmly. He didn’t want to let her go, ever. But he had to. He had to defend his country.

“When do you leave?” Y/N’s words were barely above a whisper. “I need to know how much time I have with you.” 

Alex pulled away ever so slightly so he could look at her properly, “In three days I have to be at the station for 11.” 

Y/N’s stomach dropped for what felt like the thousandth time that evening. She only had three days left with him…and a lot of that time would be spent away from him. Words were seemingly failing her and all she could do was pull Alex back into her tightly, squeezing him a little harder than she ever had before. Her eyes fluttered shut when she felt his lips press delicately to the top of her head. 

“I feel like such a douche right now but the sun is going to start setting so we need to get you home.” Alex’s breath tickled her ear as he whispered to her, and he was certain he heard her whine when he started to pull away. “Peach, we’ve got to get you home before the blackout. Your parents will be worried sick if not.” 

“I would much rather stay here with you.” 

Alex let out a gentle sigh, leading Y/N into the hallway where she put her shoes on and grabbed her coat. 

“How about we talk to your dad? See if he’ll allow you to stay over on Friday night?” He could see Y/N’s eyes light up as she nodded furiously. “I have a spare room and you can sleep in there for the night.” 

“Thank you.” 

“My pleasure.” 

*** 

When Alex returned home from having dropped Y/N back to her own home safely, he prepared his windows for the blackout and headed straight for his study where he lifted a bottle of his grandfather’s finest scotch and a glass from the cabinet in the shelving unit. He poured himself a rather large amount of the brown liquid before downing it in one, his entire body shrivelling up at the burning sensation that travelled down his throat and toward his stomach. When he first moved to the town to help his mum look after his grandfather, Alex had been given a lecture on what he could and could not touch while in the house. The very specific bottle of alcohol that he was cradling in his right hand was the first on the list of what he couldn’t touch. He’d never understood why but assumed the year 1905 that was stamped in gold on the label had something to do with it. Not that he cared, it tasted good and it would get him drunk. 

The house was too quiet for his liking without Y/N there. It had become a habit that whenever she would visit, she would immediately turn some music on so that even if they weren’t talking, there was still something going on around the two of them. Alex had picked up on the habit rather quickly and even when he was the only person in his house, he would play some music quietly so he didn’t feel so…alone. That night, he hadn’t put any music on. He’d simply sat himself down in silence and let the deafening sound of nothing envelop him. The only sounds that he could hear were his heavy breathing and the glass that had been sitting in his left hand hitting the desk with a little more force than first intended. The sound echoed in his head for a few seconds before dying down, just as he put the bottle of alcohol down and created the same sound once more. 

Alex was the only person in his house and he had nothing but his own thoughts to keep him company. That particular night, however, he didn’t want to be left alone with his thoughts. He kept imagining what life would be like on the front lines and if he would make it out alive. He had made a promise to Y/N that he would return home and he was sure as hell going to do everything in his power to keep that promise. But what if he couldn’t? What if he didn’t make it and Y/N had to find out through Florence who would have received nothing but a telegram informing her of her son’s death? Would Y/N resent him for not keeping his promise? Would she resent him for leaving her on her own? He wondered if she would ever be able to move on and if she could, would the new man love her just as much as he did? 

He took another drink of the strong alcohol but didn’t bother with the glass he had gotten, he simply lifted the opening of the bottle to his lips and tilted his head back for a large gulp. He was aware that the alcohol he was drinking would only numb his pain for a little while but he didn’t care, he needed the temporary escape in hopes of forgetting where he was headed. Sure, the military was short on men and needed physically fit men to join up, but Alex had a steady job and technically didn’t need to go. Yet there he was, three days away from going to war and completely shitting himself. 

He’d been staring at one particular spot on the bookshelf which sat opposite him since he’d sat down, and after closing his eyes at the burn again, he looked back to it. There on the bookshelf sat a framed photograph of his grandad in his uniform from World War One. It was a photo that he had asked about many times and a photo that he would hold close to his heart until the day he died. His grandfather had never come to terms with the happenings of war and struggled incredibly to open up to anyone. It had been expected, really, and no one ever pushed him to talk. The only time he would openly talk about his time was when his grandson was there, sitting upon his lap with the biggest green eyes. Alex would listen to his grandfather talk about his time in the war whenever he got the chance to visit–but more often than not it was his grandfather visiting him and his parents. He viewed his mum’s father as a hero and had even started to call him such whenever he saw him. 

Time stopped whenever his eyes would land on the picture, and a multitude of memories would flood Alex. Some were strong enough to cause a few stray tears to fall down his cheeks though he was always quick enough to wipe them away. Not a day went by where his granddad didn’t infiltrate his thoughts in some way. He missed him ever so dearly. 

The photo that sat a little distance away from him showed someone who had been more than just brave. It showed someone who had defended his country in every which way. It showed someone who was willing to die for the people he left behind when he left. The photo showed a man who had proved to everyone that he wasn’t the weak human that everyone thought he was. John William Miller was the bravest soul that Alex had ever met, and if he could be half the soldier that his grandfather was, he’d die happy. 

He had managed to finish the entire bottle of scotch before he decided that he should head to bed. It felt like his feet had become disconnected from his legs as he staggered through the ground level of his house and toward the stairs. He tripped on the first step and wound up crawling up them on his hands and knees, still unable to stay in a straight line. The alcohol that coursed through his veins left him with very little energy so rather than changing into his nightwear as he normally would, he simply fell forward onto his bed in his shirt and trousers and let sleep take over. Before he fell into a deep sleep, he had managed to pull his spare pillow from its usual home and into his arms where he held it tight. He wished for nothing more than for it to magically turn into Y/N so that he could spend all night holding her to his body. 

Alex cried himself to sleep that night. Salty tears left his eyes and trailed across his face and onto his pillow, creating a rather uncomfortable damp patch that he had to sleep around. 

He hadn’t even left and he missed her. 

*** 

**November 10th, 1939 **

“Miss Y/N?” Y/N turned her attention from the small clock that sat upon the fireplace to Peter who stood with his hand on her knee shaking it as much as he could. She could feel the heat from his palm through her trousers and could also feel the cold when he pulled away. “Why are you so sad today?” 

The question shouldn’t have affected her so much. Or at least, she shouldn’t have let it affect her so much. Not only was she talking to a five-year-old, but she was also at work–the place where she was meant to be professional at all times. That being said, she took a deep breath and quickly swiped her thumb over her bottom lash to rid the tears that had formed while she thought about Alex. 

“Alex has to go away for a little while and I’m sad because I have to say goodbye.” Her reply wasn’t necessarily the truth, but she wasn’t lying either. Glenne had tried her best to shelter the boys from the horrors that the war was causing as much as she could. Though that didn’t mean that she hadn’t explained to them the basics of why they sometimes had to play hide and seek in the garden during the nights, why the living room was dark before they went to bed and why they had special masks that they had to keep with them in case there was an emergency. She had done the best she could with four children in the house and no support other than Y/N. 

“Like daddy’s gone for a little while?” Peter wasn’t silly. He knew that a lot of men he had grown up around were going away. He just didn’t know_ why_ they were going. All Y/N could do was nod her head with a sad smile. She was scared that if she tried to form words, she would wind up saying the wrong thing to him. “Well…make sure you hug him really tightly and tell him that you love him, okay? That’s what I did when my daddy left us.” 

Peter’s words chipped a little more of Y/N’s heart away and the look in his big, brown eyes was enough for her to scoop him into her arms and hold him to her body. He was the cuddliest of the twins and so he instantly wrapped his small arms around Y/N’s neck and held her back just as tightly. It was a comforting hug and Y/N had never realised how much better she would feel when she was around the twins. 

“I’ll do just that, little fella.” She was cut off with the sound of Peter’s tummy grumbling from lack of food and when she looked back to the clock, she realised that it was a little after their lunchtime. “Come on, shall we get some lunch?” The little boy nodded vigorously and waited for Y/N to stand up before he dragged her into the kitchen. “Jack, Betty, Robert? Come and get some lunch please.” 

The three other children who had been quietly playing with the wooden cars followed orders and joined Y/N and Peter in the kitchen for some food. That day, Y/N made the children strawberry jam sandwiches and treated them to a couple of small chocolates from the tray of chocolate Glenne had given to her as a thanks for watching them all. The rest she would take to Alex’s house that evening for them to enjoy after their dinner. 

As soon as her father had told her that she would be allowed to stay the night at Alex’s so long as they are in separate beds in separate rooms, she had told Alex that she would be cooking him dinner. She didn’t want him fussing over her when he was about to leave. The day before, she had been to his house for a little while because they wanted to spend every minute they could together before he left, and he had made them a roast dinner again. Y/N decided that she would use those leftovers to make a bubble and squeak so that no food was going to waste before he left. Alex had requested that she make a peach crumble for dessert and with the puppy dog eyes and smile that he offered her, she could hardly refuse. He had backed up his request with a, “You’ve got to live up to your name, Peach,” which had left Y/N shaking her head at him playfully before agreeing to make him his favourite dessert. 

After lunch, the four children who had somehow managed to eat a full meal without there being any dramatics sat together playing while Y/N sat down with her own sandwich and a perfectly hot cup of tea. Even though she tried her best not to, she spent most of her day watching the hands of the clock go around in a circle. There was something both eerily calming and annoyingly scary about how fast the time went. Well, it only went fast when she was busy. All she wanted to do was to cook Alex a meal and enjoy her last handful of hours with him as much as she could. The children didn’t want for much that day and so she had more downtime to sit and watch them interact which was amazing because it meant she wasn’t busy, but annoying because it meant that she wasn’t busy. The more she had to do, the less she would look at the clock and therefore the less she would groan in frustration that it wasn’t yet time to go home. 

Glenne was expected to arrive home at 6:00pm that day and Y/N had to be at Alex’s for no later than 6:20 so that she would be there before the blackout started. That meant that pretty much as soon as Glenne walked in, Y/N would have to dodge out, grab her overnight bag from her house and say goodbye to her parents before taking a brisk ten-minute walk to Alex’s house. She had it all planned in her head. She knew exactly what she was going to say to Glenne, what she would say to her parents, and what she would say to Alex when she was inevitably a couple of minutes late due to her time with her parents running over. 

The more time that passed, the more anxious Y/N was growing. Once it had gotten to 4pm, she prayed that it would be one of the Friday’s that Glenne was let out of work early so that she could head to Alex’s early. It was as though her prayers had been heard, and answered when Glenne walked through the front door only 15 minutes later. She looked nowhere near as stressed as she had the few days before, her pink lipstick still perfect on her lips and her smile was bright. After shrugging her tan coloured coat from her body, she pried her shoes from her feet and slipped them into her slippers instead. 

The four children looked up from where they were playing when they heard Glenne walk into the living room. “Hey, babies! Have you had a good day?” They all stood up and hurried over to their mother and carer, hugging her legs as tightly as they could. Sure it had taken Glenne a little while to get used to life without her husband, but she had taken it in her stride. Partly because she knew her husband was doing the right thing and partly because she didn’t want to appear weak in front of the children. It had helped her when Betty and Robert joined her clan and had instantly taken to her as though she was their own mum. They were siblings themselves, Betty at four and Robert at six. 

Y/N smiled at the interaction that happened in front of her before drinking the last little bit of her cup of tea and placing her cup on the coaster next to her. 

“They’ve spent all day playing together. We’ve had no dramatics at all and the boys even played babies with Betty’s dolly when she asked them to.” Glenne lifted her eyebrows in shock before stepping past Y/N and grabbing the cup that she had just put down. After a long day at work, it was inevitable that Glenne would want to make herself a cup of tea, and she knew that Y/N would never refuse another drink. 

Y/N followed her friend, and employer, into the kitchen just as Glenne responded with, “That’s brilliant.” Her voice was slightly hoarse from talking at work but she knew all she needed to fix it was a drink. A cuppa tea could fix all types of problems. Y/n had barely had time to lean herself against the island to get comfy before Glenne was speaking again. “I heard today that Alex is going to fight?” 

Hearing someone other than Alex say those words made Y/N’s stomach twist so tight she thought she was going to empty the contents of it into the bin. It had only been two days since he told her that he was leaving but the wound was very much still fresh and painful. She had barely slept since he told her and she knew she wouldn’t sleep that night in worry. 

“Yeah. He leaves tomorrow.” Glenne spun herself around on her heel and watched as the girl in front of her smiled sadly and swallowed the lump that had built in her throat. She could feel the tears building yet again but she didn’t want to cry. “My dad’s actually letting me spend the night at his house tonight.” 

“You really love him, don’t you?” Y/N nodded, her eyes getting teary the longer she thought about Alex. It still baffled her how so many people knew that she was in love with him. She never went into detail about their time together yet people still knew. “Go now.” 

“But I’m meant to be here until-” 

“-I would give up almost anything to have one last night with Jeff. He left while we were angry. I wish that I could hold him once more. I wish that I could tell him how proud of him I am. I wish I could tell him how much I love him.” Glenne paused to take a deep breath, closing her eyes for a second to compose herself before continuing, “I miss my husband so much and I wouldn’t wish for anyone else to feel the way I feel about it. Every night since the day he left I’ve cried myself to sleep because I’m filled with this,” she held her hands in front of her as though she was holding something, not quite sure what words she wanted to use, “overpowering feeling of pure regret. I regret being angry and I regret not telling him how much I love him. I wouldn’t want you to feel the same way so go…spend a couple of extra hours with him. Do it for Jeff and me.” 

Y/N felt truly awful for Glenne, watching her relive the moment Jeff told her he was leaving in her head. Not once had she realised just how bad she felt about the evening that seemed so long ago. “But I got mad at him when he told me. I was so selfish.” 

“I was selfish and it got me nowhere. He’s doing this because he loves you. It’s clear that he does with the look he gives you and you need to spend these last moments with him like they’re the last you’re ever going to have. Please, get yourself off early and spend all the time you can with him. Don’t make the same mistake I did, it’s not worth the heartache.” Y/N nodded, sauntering over to Glenne to pull her into a hug. She quickly wiped a tear from her eye before pulling away and smiling at the woman before her. 

“Thank you, Glenne.” 

“No problem. And hey, Y/N?” Y/N turned around from her spot and looked at Glenne who smiled softly, “Don’t let him go without telling him how you feel.” 

Y/N simply tilted her head down into the smallest nods before walking through the kitchen and to the hallway where she shoved her feet into her shoes and grabbed her coat. She didn’t even bother putting it on as she left the house with a small wave and ran around to her house. The nerves that had slowly been building up throughout the day grew so much stronger when she was in the comfort of her own home. She had only created scenarios in her own head of what would happen when she got to Alex’s but of course, she had no idea what was _actually_ going to happen. 

As she pushed the heavy front door open and tumbled in with a light shiver, Matilda walked out of the living room with a curious smile taking over her features. “You’re home early, Goose.” 

“Glenne got home early and told me to get off. She knows that he’s going and told me not to waste a second–well, not those exact words but you catch my drift.” 

Matilda only nodded as her daughter ran up the stairs toward her bedroom, her shoes still on her feet which she knew she would get a rollocking for at some point in the not so distant future. Before she had left for work earlier in the day, she had packed her overnight bag with the essentials that she knew she would need. Neatly folded and ready to go were her nightdress, a clean pair of underwear for the next day, her outfit for the following day, her toiletries and her hairbrush. It wasn’t until she was about to leave her bedroom that she remembered to pack her perfume also. When she was sure that she had everything, she walked out of her bedroom and back down the stairs where both of her parents were waiting for her. 

“Y/N, before you go can I just remind you-” 

Y/N didn’t give her father time to give her the lecture about what she must do to be able to stay at Alex’s house again, “-that we are to sleep in separate beds in two different rooms. I know, dad, I got it. Now can I please go so that I can see my boyfriend before he disappears for however long?” 

“Of course. Have a good time, okay?” Richard hugged his daughter tightly and she hugged back the best she could with her overnight bag in her hand. “I love you.” 

“I love you too.” 

Matilda didn’t even give her daughter a chance to recover from her hug with her father before she was pulling her into her own hug. Y/N sighed into her mum before she pulled away. “Be safe, I love you.” 

*** 

Alex was yet to arrive home when Y/N made her way down the gravel driveway of his home. She didn’t need to knock to know, for the curtains of his front room were pulled shut still. Even after only starting to visit him at his own home months prior, Y/N knew the little habits that he had. Like, for instance, he would keep his curtains shut throughout the day when he wasn’t home as he was paranoid that someone would try to spot if he had anything worth stealing and break in. He also had the habit of not leaving a pile of unopened mail in the basket next to the door that Y/N had insisted he get to put his keys in for he was always losing them. 

Once she was inside and had locked the front door behind her–something else that Alex would always do– she took her shoes off and walked through to the living room where she pulled the curtains open. Not only did she want to let some light into the house before the sunset, but she also wanted Alex to know that she was there when he got home from work. The house was eerily quiet and it left Y/N on edge. She wasn’t ready to say goodbye and she didn’t think that she ever would be. 

The quiet was too much for her from the very moment she closed the front door so before she did anything else, she turned the turntable on and sighed in delight as Frank Sinatra’s voice filled the space around her. She had always enjoyed Alex’s music as it was close to what she herself liked so she let the music play as she walked out into the hallway. 

The very tips of her fingers trailed across the wall as she walked through the house and toward the kitchen where she could start preparing the dinner. The walls were cold to the touch and sent shivers running up the length of her arm. She pulled away as she reached the kitchen, and inwardly groaned when she saw the dishes that had built up by the sink. Of course, she couldn’t complain because it wasn’t her house and Alex had got a lot on his mind so washing up wasn’t a priority. Y/N grabbed the apron that Alex usually wore and pulled it over her body before sauntering to the sink and running the hot tap for a little before cleaning the dishes that had built up. 

The music was a lot quieter in the kitchen but it was loud enough for her to hear. All she had wanted was for there to be _something_ playing while she was in the house on her own so she wouldn’t feel so creeped out by the lack of voices. The clock on the wall read 5:15pm and she smiled knowing that Alex would be back only fifteen minutes later and she would get to have him close. 

*** 

Alex’s lips turned up at the corners when he walked onto his driveway and saw his living room curtains open. An overwhelming feeling of comfort washed over him as he twisted his key in the lock and pushed the door open, a voice he wasn’t used to hearing being heard instantly. He pushed his coat from his body and hung it up gently and removed his shoes before quietly padding through to the kitchen. 

“Give me five minutes more, only five minutes more,” Y/N sang gently, her eyes brimmed with tears as she stood with her back to him. “Let me stay, let me stay in your arms.” 

Alex couldn’t help but stare at the happenings before him. The sight was enough for his breath to get caught in his throat. Stood in front of the white oven which sat on the left-hand side of his kitchen in his apron, was his darling girlfriend who was so graciously cooking him dinner. She was quietly singing a song that he had heard countless times before. But that time was different. As he listened to her sing the first few lines of the song he realised that it had quickly gone from being a song in which he enjoyed the tune to a song in which he could relate to.

“Here am I, begging for only five minutes more,” Alex joined in, startling his girlfriend in the process. Y/N stopped singing as she stared at Alex who finished the verse for her. “Only five minutes more of your charm.”

As he stepped further into the kitchen, he pushed his arms out in front of him so that he could grab onto Y/N’s and pulled her away from the oven and towards him. Her arms found their way around his neck while he held her tightly against his body as he swayed them gently and continued to sing to her. Alex hastily wiped away the first tear that fell from Y/N’s eye and left his hand cupping her cheek gingerly, watching as her eyes fluttered closed when he leaned forward to press his lips to her forehead gently. 

“All week long I dreamed about our Sunday date,” Y/N giggled around her tears when Alex changed the words to fit their lives, the sound making Alex’s heart burst. “Don’t you know that Monday morning you can sleep late–except you can’t because you have to work,” he added at the end. 

The couple continued to dance around the kitchen while their dinner cooked, and Alex couldn’t help but wish he could have that every day. He wanted to get home from work and have Y/N waiting for him with the biggest smile. He wanted to dance with her every night in every room of the house, even if there was no music playing. 

He didn’t want to leave her. 

But he had to. 

He had to leave the best thing that had happened to him. 

As they neared the final line of the song, Y/N started to whisper the words again, closing her eyes as the tears continued to fall down her face. She didn’t want to cry. She wanted to be strong and save her tears for when she was in bed and didn’t have to worry about her eyes getting red and puffy or her face getting blotchy from the salty liquid. 

“Let me stay, let me stay in your arms, ah, come on.” 

It took them a few seconds to stop swaying when the music had finished and Alex still wouldn’t let go of Y/N. Instead, he rested his forehead against hers and let his eyes fall closed for a little while. He wanted to stay in the moment for as long as he physically could and he wanted to memorise everything that had just happened. He wanted a happy memory to look back on when he was fighting and anxious about the future. 

There was something strangely calming about the way they were stood…foreheads resting on one another’s, eyes closed and arms wrapped one another. The only sounds in the room were the bubble and squeak that Y/N was preparing for them making noises from the heat underneath it and their heavy breathing as they stayed as close as they could. 

It was the moment that they knew all too well. When everything around them seemed to evaporate into the atmosphere leaving them the only two on the Earth. Since they had met, they would find themselves in these small moments where they literally felt like no one else resided on Earth with them. They felt as though they were floating on a cloud and had no troubles around them, and they felt as though they could do anything their hearts desired. 

When Y/N opened her eyes a few seconds later, she was met with Alex’s closed ones. Being so close to him, she could see the slight shine to his eyelids and his eyelashes which rested perfectly over his cheeks. Her lips lifted into the smallest smile and when she moved her hands so that she could cup his cheeks, brushing over the soft skin with the pads of her thumbs. Alex’s eyes remained closed as Y/N moved her hands over his face, almost as if she was trying to memorise every curve, every line, every inch of the skin. When her thumbs reached his lips, she was overcome with a raging desire to press her own to them. She wasn’t quite sure how she would describe them should someone have asked her, though she probably would have said that they were fuller where they needed to be and a deeper shade of pink than she had ever seen on someone of the opposite sex. 

Y/N debated leaning forward and pressing her lips to his but she decided against it, realising that it wasn’t an appropriate time and Alex might not have even wanted to kiss her. So she didn’t kiss him. She stayed where she was and breathed in deeply. As she breathed back out, her breath tickled Alex’s upper lip and he opened his eyes with a gentle smile on his face. His eyes flicked down to her lips and his stomach clenched at how perfect they looked even in the awkward lighting of his kitchen. 

Seconds felt like hours as they stood in complete silence, the world around them slowing on its axel as they looked at different parts of one another. Each of them was trying to remember the other and it was evident. Alex would watch as Y/N closed her eyes and took deep breaths every few seconds while Y/N watched Alex lick his lips excessively. It took a lot of guts for Alex to lean forward and further into Y/N. His lips pressed against the corner of her mouth before he pulled away quickly, wiping under his eyes to remove the tears that were catching at his lower lashline. 

Y/N was confused when Alex mumbled a fast, “I’m just gonna go and wash my hands.” Her initial thoughts were that he had changed his mind about wanting to kiss her and didn’t want to see her. But then she saw the tears that were pooling on his bottom lash line she knew that he was feeling just as emotional as she was. Truth be told, as she turned herself around to check that their food wasn’t burning, she swallowed the lump in her throat, but it didn’t stop the few tears from falling. 

Even though they hadn’t kissed properly, his lips were just how she had thought they would be, supple and full without being too much, and she wished that she could have kissed him properly. A kiss to the corner of her mouth wasn’t nearly enough for her. She needed more. 

***

With their dinner cooked and the table set, Y/N and Alex took what had become their rightful places at the dining table where Frank Sinatra played gently to them. Ever the gentleman, Alex waited until Y/N was sitting down before he sat down himself, and the first thing he did when he was sat down was open the bottle of white wine for them both. Even though their situation didn’t call for a celebration, they wanted to be able to cheers something before he left. Their relationship had been a whirlwind of one and they were so incredibly thankful that even with it being a short romance before Alex had to leave, they had spent the better part of a year in one another’s company and they couldn’t have been more grateful. 

Alex lifted his filled glass into the air in front of him and waited until Y/N did the same. She had a smile on her face despite the tears that had been shed when Alex went to wash his hands after their small kiss, and as she tapped her glass against his, she tipped her head slightly too. 

“Thank you for seven of the most incredible, beautiful months. I’ve spent my entire life hearing people talking about seven minutes in heaven and I never thought I’d be so lucky. But I’ve had seven incredible months in the purest of heavens and it’s all thanks to you. Without you I would be nothing, a truly broken man with a lot less love in my life,” Alex spoke softly, eyes getting glassy as he watched Y/N smile sadly at him. Her own eyes were teary and she knew if he carried on, she’d be a goner. “Here’s to a long and healthy life no matter what the future has in store.” 

“To us…” Y/N added, taking a deep breath and smiling up at the man before her. He gave her the same smile, though his eyes were a little more watery than hers. It was a couple of seconds before they brought their wine to their lips, the liquid harsh on their throat as they swallowed it. 

It was quiet for a while after that, their cutlery scraping against the ceramic plates that their food was sat upon and their glasses hitting the table when they placed them down again. Neither of them were brave enough to speak while they ate. They were both scared that if they tried to say anything, they would break down and they weren’t prepared for that. And so, they let Frank Sinatra do the talking for them, Five Minutes More playing just as they had finished their last bite of food. 

Alex instantly started smiling, thinking back to less than an hour before when he got home from work and Y/N was singing it as she cooked. He stood up quickly, grabbing his girlfriend’s hand and dragging her to her feet so that they could dance. With one hand on her waist and the other grasping hers, he started to sway them both to the song. Their eyes never left one another’s as they danced, but they both got teary and had to wipe them away before they fell. 

They danced in silence, the moment being too special for either of them to even risk ruining. There was an uncertainty in the air as their feet moved slowly. Neither of them knew if it was going to be the last dance they would ever share together and they wanted to savour every second. 

As Y/N looked longingly into Alex’s eyes, she had an overwhelming feeling of heartbreak. She could physically feel her heart crack straight down the middle. Alex was taking half of her heart with him. Alex reciprocated her look and he himself felt as though he was breaking. In fact, Alex felt his heart shattering. All he’d ever wanted in his life was to find a woman whom he could love wholly and who was pure-hearted and exactly like him. He’d found that in Y/N. 

“Give me just five minutes more,” Y/N choked out a whisper, unable to raise her voice and too scared that if she would, her surroundings would vanish and she wouldn’t have Alex with her. “I just need five more minutes.” She was crying again, but it was a lot softer. Smaller tears trailed down her cheeks and fell off of her chin, falling to her top and dampening random spots on it. Alex’s thumb reached up to wipe them away, looking at her with the saddest smile. 

“Me too, Peach. Me too.” 

*** 

Two steaming mugs of tea sat on the coffee table as Alex sat himself down, Y/N following shortly after and grabbing her own mug. When she sat herself back, Alex grabbed her right hand and pulled it into his lap, intertwining their fingers together and giving her hand a light squeeze. After they had eaten the peach crumble that Y/N had prepared, she insisted on making them a cup of tea to sit with before they went to bed. Alex had eagerly agreed that it would be a good idea and so, not even five minutes after the last pots had been washed, they were sat on the sofa in complete silence. 

The music that had been playing while they ate had stopped and neither of them put something else on. They were basking in the silence that enveloped them. Sitting in silence gave them both time to process what would be happening when they both woke up the following day. Alex had already warned Y/N that Florence would be going to make them breakfast and to take them both to the train station where they would say their final goodbyes. They weren’t ready to say goodbye though and they knew that they never would be. Not knowing when the next time they would see each other had caused a nauseous feeling to erupt within them both. 

Y/N feared that if either of them started talking, her true emotions would appear and she wouldn’t be able to stop crying. Seven months just wasn’t long enough for them. They needed longer. They had barely gotten to know everything about one another before Alex had told her that he was leaving and she was devastated, to say the least. Sure she knew a lot about him, but she wanted to learn every minute detail about him. She wanted to know whether he put his socks on before his trousers when he was getting ready in the morning; if he took his baths on a morning or the night before he went to bed and if he put milk in his tea before the hot water (which she would berate him for if he did). She wanted to know which was his dominant hand, how much ice he would put in his drinks if any at all, if he made funny faces in the mirror without even realising that he was doing it, how long it took him in the morning before he was ready to speak and which side of the bed he slept on. There were so many things that she had yet to learn about him and she feared that she’d never get to learn them. 

As Alex sat with his hand holding Y/N’s tightly, he realised just how much he was going to miss her. He was going to miss the way that she would look at him with the gentlest of smiles before her tongue would lick at the bottom lip before pulling it between her teeth. He was going to miss the way that she fluttered her eyelashes at him without even noticing that she was doing it. He would miss the way she made her cups of tea, always letting the tea bag brew for five minutes before even thinking about adding a splash of milk. There was so much that he was going to miss about her so he spent the time they were in silence memorising every tiny thing about her. 

When his hand started to grow sweaty, he realised that he didn’t want to break the body contact with her and so he leaned forward to place his mug of tea on the oak coffee table before he sat back, pulling his girlfriend into his side and letting her legs drape over his thighs. He heard her sigh before she let herself get comfortable at his side. She cradled her tea in her hands as she rested her head on Alex’s shoulder, closing her eyes for a second to take everything in. Her body moved with each breath that he took, his chest rising and falling again at a steady pace, and her own breathing started to match his. Even though she had already spent a great deal of time thinking about the way she felt like one person with Alex whenever she was around him, she couldn’t help but think about it again then. They breathed at the same time, took sips of their tea at the same time and even shifted to get themselves a little comfier at the same time. Neither of them quite understood how it was possible. 

She wanted to stay in the moment forever, basking in the feel of his body against hers and pretend the outside world didn’t exist. And maybe she would have, had Alex not yawned, reminding her that they did need to get rest as they would be waking up with the sun the following morning.

“Come on, we should probably head up to bed,” she whispered, her voice hoarse from not having spoken for a while. Alex merely groaned, not wanting to leave her for the hours in which he slept. If they stayed on the sofa then they’d never have to part for the night. 

“But I’m comfortable.” 

“You’ll be a lot more comfortable in your pyjamas in your bed. I promise you.” Y/N countered, doing her best to remove herself from Alex’s tight grip and stand up on the plush carpet underneath them. All it took was for Y/N to hold her hand out for Alex for him to grab a hold of it and stand up himself. He swayed for a few seconds from standing up too quickly before he followed his girlfriend up the stairs and toward the bedrooms. 

He stopped when he reached his door, not letting Y/N walk any further to the bedroom in which she would be sleeping. With his hand firmly in hers, he pulled her toward him where she instantly wrapped her arms around his frame and cuddled into him. They stayed like that for a few moments before Alex cleared his throat, causing Y/N to lift her head up just enough so that she could look into his eyes to make sure he was okay. Her eyelashes were fanning just below her eyebrows and her eyes themselves told him everything he needed to know. 

“I don’t even know why I’m saying this but alas, I am,” he started before taking a deep breath to compose himself, “I-” He stopped talking. His heart started pounding deep within his chest and he could hear it ringing in his ears. Y/N watched as he moved his weight from one foot to the other, letting go of her hand to clasp his other one where he started to crack his fingers with unease. It was hard to miss the way that he gnawed upon his bottom lip and the way his eyes flickered from Y/N’s to her lips before finally moving to the ground. It worried Y/N a little bit, seeing Alex look so nervous. 

“Is everything okay, Button?” she muttered gently, not wanting to scare him off. “You can tell me anything…you do know that right? Whatever is on your mind you can tell me and we’ll work through it together.” 

“I really _really _want to give you my first kiss before I…head off for war. But I don’t want it to be a goodbye kiss.” Y/N watched intently as Alex spoke, his eyes finally moving to look back up at her and she could tell that he was worrisome. “I think I’d much rather it be a goodnight kiss.” 

And how could Y/N possibly refuse the man she loved a goodnight kiss? It took her less than five seconds to respond with the faintest of replies. As, “Of course,” fell from her lips, Alex lifted his right hand up to press against her left cheek. Even though he had held her face in his hands countless times before, there was something utterly breathtaking about it that time. He wasn’t holding her face just so that he could hold her face and have her look at him. He was cupping her cheek so that he would be able to bring his lips to hers so much easier. In his 19 years, he had tried to picture his first kiss and how it would go but he had never imagined it happening with someone as perfect as the woman who stood in front of him. 

Their height difference made the action a fraction more difficult and so Y/N lifted the heels of her feet off of the ground while Alex leant forward slightly. Her hands found their way to the shirt that he wore and she gripped onto the material to hold herself steady. Neither of them were able to control their breathing, the anticipation of what was coming far more important to them both. 

Alex still had one hand on her cheek while his other held her waist, supporting her body as he finally touched his lips to hers completely. His eyes fluttered closed on their own accord and he felt himself releasing a breath through his nose that he hadn’t realised he had been holding in. Her lips were soft against his and exactly how he had imagined them to feel. His insides erupted at the new feeling and he wanted nothing more than to live the rest of his life with his lips attached to Y/N’s. The kiss brought a tiny hint of calm to his increasingly chaotic life and it was welcomed happily. Finally being able to kiss the woman he loved left Alex feeling dizzy, and Y/N felt the exact same way. Y/N literally took his breath away with the kiss and he would be eternally grateful that he got to have his first kiss before he went to war, with Y/N no less. 

He pulled away only a few seconds later, chest heaving and eyes stinging. He was happy. Really fucking happy. But he was sad too. Y/N stood in front of him with a shy smile on her face. She was beyond ecstatic that she had been able to share a kiss with Alex but there was still an underlying sadness to it. For months she had dreamt of kissing him, and for months she had been willing herself not to just go for it so when her lips finally met his in an innocent kiss, she felt every single feeling she had grown since that April resurface and ignite her entire body. Every nerve was on fire from the top of her head to the tips of her toes and the feeling didn’t go away when he pulled away. But she was sad. Just as she’d finally found out what kissing Alex felt like, he had to go away and she wouldn’t get to kiss him again for God knows how long and it hurt her immensely. 

“Thank you,” Alex hummed, his voice barely above a whisper and his eyes a lot heavier than they had been moments prior. 

“You’re more than welcome,” Y/N responded quickly, her voice the same decibel that Alex’s was. “Goodnight, Button.” 

“Goodnight, Peach.” 

*** 

Once Y/N had changed into her nightdress and had gone to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth, she sat herself at the desk in the corner of the guest bedroom–the one that had previously been Alex’s grandfather’s room. He hadn’t wanted to sleep there for he had thought that it would be disrespectful to him. So, he used it as the guest bedroom where it was only getting used for one night at a time and not regularly. 

Y/N opened up the notebook that sat on the oak desk and grabbed a pen from the top drawer, taking a deep breath and writing Alex’s name on the very top line. As she sat in the dimly lit room she let the pen roll over the white paper with ease. The words that she had been bottling up for a while were moving from her head and into the letter she had decided to write. She already knew that the following day before Alex got dressed into his uniform, she would sneak the letter into one of the pockets for him to find at some point. 

There wasn’t much thought going into what she was writing, for her heart was doing all the work. She poured so much love into the letter and spilt every tiny detail about the way she felt about him. The letter was Y/N’s way of saying all the things that she was too afraid to say out loud. Well, she wasn’t scared to say them out loud…she was just very much so aware that should she say them to Alex’s face, she would become too emotional to say everything. 

Even writing the words down left her with tears streaming down her face, and a few of them landed on the bottom of the paper, dampening it and leaving marks. Y/N read through it a few times before telling herself that it was good enough, grabbing one of the envelopes she had found in the desk and putting the letter in it. She sealed the letter with a tender kiss and promised herself then that whenever she would send Alex a letter, she would seal it with one. She didn’t want their relationship to end up like the boat they had seen the day Alex asked her to be his girlfriend–tattered and worn. She wanted to pour as much love as she could into them and she wanted to work as hard as she needed to so that they didn’t wear down.

When she had placed the letter on the desk soon after, she tapped it lightly with the tip of her index finger before pushing the chair away from the desk so that she could stand up. Her bum had gone numb from sitting on the wood for so long and she couldn’t wait to get curled up in bed under the duvet. The room smelled like freshly washed sheets mixed with a hint of old smoke from where Alex’s grandfather used to smoke before bed. 

The air in the room cooled down a tiny bit as she pulled the duvet back, the motion creating a fan-like move which wafted cold air around. Y/N peeled the silky dressing gown from her body and placed it on the back of the desk chair, scurrying back to the bed so that she could climb inside. The bed felt like a warm hug…except the bed was cold to start with from not being used and it left her shivering for a little while. Though when she was amply warm, she found herself relaxing into the covers and closing her eyes. 

But she couldn’t sleep. 

No matter how hard she tried to shut her brain off; no matter how many times she tried to count sheep and no matter how many times she focussed on her breathing, her mind was racing with different thoughts. As hard as she tried, she couldn’t stop thinking about what it would be like if Alex didn’t make it home and she had to live the rest of her life without him. The thought alone left her sobbing silently, wiping the tears away just as quickly as they were falling down her cheeks and onto the pillow. She was fed up of crying. She felt as though all she’d done for three days was cry and she didn’t want to do it anymore. 

She felt like she had been trying to sleep for hours, yet when she checked the clock on the bedside table and it read 10:55 she grew frustrated because it had been less than half an hour. Her head threw back onto the pillow and she groaned in frustration, frantically wiping under her eyes as she stood up from the bed into the cold room and grabbing her dressing gown. Just as the bed was cold when she got into it, her navy blue dressing gown was also cold when she wrapped it around herself once more. She left her slippers by the bed and walked out of the room and toward Alex’s, walking on her tiptoes to prevent stepping on a creaky floorboard too harshly and waking him up if he was sleeping. 

When she got to his bedroom door, she saw it open ever so slightly and the light from the hallway landed on his body. He wasn’t sleeping. Y/N could hear him sniffling and shuffling around on the bed. 

“Y/N?” His voice startled her, her right hand flying to her chest as she breathed heavily. “Is that you?” 

“Yeah.” Y/N waited by his bedroom as Alex padded through his bedroom and toward her, pulling the door open further and revealing his plaid pyjama bottoms and a black t-shirt. “Sorry, I didn’t wake you did I?” 

“No. I couldn’t sleep…” Alex trailed off, rubbing at his eyes with the back of his hands. “Too scared.” 

“I couldn’t sleep either.” 

“Want to come get in my bed?” Alex asked without skipping a beat, seeing the way Y/N’s eyes widened instantly. “I won’t tell your dad if you won’t.” He knew that Y/N was a follower of rules and for her to join him in his bed would be breaking the biggest rule her father had set about that night. But she didn’t care, she needed to be with him. So she nodded, biting back a smile as Alex’s eyes lit up gently. “Come on then.” 

He pulled the door open completely and gestured for Y/N to follow him, the bottom of the t-shirt lifting and showing off a bit of his belly as he held the door open. Y/N had never seen him in anything other than a crisp white shirt before so seeing him in such a dark colour baffled her to start. But when she saw the muscles that were bulging from the sleeve of his shirt which was tight around them, she couldn’t help but stare. Since the day they met, she had wondered what his arms looked like under his shirts but she’d never expected them to be so defined. Even in the dark light of his bedroom, Y/N could see the veins that ran down Alex’s biceps and she found herself having to wipe away a tiny bit of drool that had formed at the corner of her mouth. He looked so cuddly yet so undeniably sexy as he walked away from her and towards the bed. 

Alex’s room was different from the guest room. It was ever so slightly smaller for one and had one window instead of two. The double bed sat on the wall to the right of the door and was pushed up against the wall. Half of it was made and the other half–the side furthest away from the wall–was unmade, clearly where Alex had been laying before Y/N turned up at his door. There was a slight warmth to the room, the carpet that covered the floor no doubt keeping the heat in rather than letting out like the wooden floor of the guest bedroom did. The familiar spice of King’s Men aftershave surrounded her and left her feeling like she was engulfed in Alex’s arms. It was a scent that she had grown to fall in love with the more time she spent with him and had quickly become a smell that she only associated with him. 

While Alex was untucking the duvet completely, Y/N removed her dressing gown once more, suddenly feeling conscious that she was in a short dress around Alex. 

“Okay so if you want you can sleep-” Alex’s words were cut off when he turned around and saw Y/N. The powder blue, silk nightdress came to her mid-thigh and was trimmed with the most delicate white lace. She looked perfectly angelic stood in front of him and even though he tried not to stare at her, he couldn’t help it. Stood before him was the most beautiful being he had ever seen. Not even in his wildest dreams did he think he would be lucky enough to find someone so perfect. Yet there she was, stood in front of him, eyes glued to his and lip drawn between her teeth. “I’m sorry,” Alex started again, closing his eyes and shaking his head to calm himself down, “if you’d like, you can sleep next to the wall but I don’t mind.” 

“The wall is fine, thank you,” Y/N replied, hand toying with the strap of her nightdress which drove Alex wild. He didn’t understand how a person could look so innocent yet so ridiculously enticing at the same time. 

Y/N felt ever so slightly uncomfortable under his gaze. Never before had she been looked at that way, with so much love that she could feel her body growing warmer with each passing second. The way that Alex looked at her created an intimacy between them that she’d never known. When she was with George, he’d never take time to appreciate her beauty and he’d never tell her how beautiful she looked like Alex would. 

Alex’s eyes continued to look her body up and down and she fought back a nervous giggle, pulling her lips into her mouth to try and stop herself from smiling with a blush. Even while she was wearing clothes, she’d never felt more naked. But she didn’t feel just physically naked. She had opened her entire soul to Alex…her entire heart…and it was like he was spending all the time that he could take her in. 

“I guess we should probably try to get some sleep at least,” Alex spoke, breaking the silence that had settled between the two of them. 

Y/N merely nodded in agreement, climbing over the bed and sliding under the covers while Alex got himself comfortable. It wasn’t like Y/N had spent hours upon hours wondering what it would be like to share a bed with Alex, but being in the same bed as him definitely exceeded her expectations. 

At first, she struggled to get comfortable, the mattress completely different to the one she was used to at home, but when Alex wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into him she was good. His arm behind her lifted her just enough so that she could rest her head on his chest as she had done when they were downstairs. Her head moved with each breath and she turned herself so that she could hike her left leg over Alex’s and get herself in a good position for sleep. It felt nice, being so close to one another before they fell into a what they could only hope to be a peaceful slumber. 

Just as she started to drift off–something she thought would never happen that night with how much she was struggling to sleep before–she felt Alex’s hand brush over her hip, the heat from his fingers creating a harsh layer of goosebumps to erupt over her entire body. Alex retracted his hand for he’d tried to find hers and not her hip and he didn’t want her to think that he was trying to make a move on her. So he was overly taken aback when Y/N lifted her hand and grabbed his, placing it back on her hip and lacing their fingers together. 

The whole atmosphere in the room changed, their breathing grew shaky as they lay in silence but Y/N’s picked up even more when she felt Alex press a butterfly kiss on her forehead. If her eyes hadn’t already been closed she was sure that the feeling of Alex’s hand on her body would have been enough for them to flutter closed. The tips of his fingers danced over the lace that hemmed her dress, sometimes grazing along the soft skin of her thigh if she moved. Alex was entranced by the lace, the white colour of it causing his mind to race. 

Just the tiniest bit of the material was enough for him to think about seeing Y/N in a wedding dress. She looked stunning in what she was wearing but she truly would be out of this world in a floor-length, white lace dress, walking down the aisle towards him where they would get to be joined for the rest of their time on earth. But, he didn’t know if he was ever going to see that. The future was so uncertain and literally anything could happen and ruin all of the things he had planned in his own head. A single tear fell down his cheek and landed on Y/N’s hair. 

She had felt it hit her scalp and there was an instant lump in her throat. Sure she had been sad since Alex told her the news, but she’d hardly seen him cry over the impending event that was coming the day after. Truth be told, Alex had tried his best to not cry in front of Y/N. He wanted to be a strong support system for her and didn’t want to appear weak if he was to cry. Not that Y/N would have minded. Men could cry too and it wouldn’t have made him any weaker in her eyes but she knew that Alex liked to be the protector. 

Rather than ask if he was okay, she tilted her head back just enough for her to press the softest of kisses to Alex’s chin, the slow-growing facial hair tickling her upper lip as she did. When her lips were no longer touching the skin of his chin, she nuzzled her face into his neck, letting her breath fan over his skin. The heat from it travelled from the base of his neck and worked its way to his jaw.

“Sweetheart,” Alex whined from above her, letting his head fall forward once Y/N had removed herself from his neck. The new pet name caused a swarm of butterflies to infest her tummy and she looked up at him with a flutter of her lashes. Their eyes locked and her left hand left Alex’s which continued to rest on her hip and moved up his torso, over his chest and to his cheek where she pulled his lips back down to hers. Dread washed over her when she didn’t feel Alex kiss back straight away, but then she felt it. The little squeeze he gave her hip and his lips pressing back into hers. 

What had started as an innocent peck turned into something a lot more, and fast. Y/N kissed his bottom lip first, hardly pulling away to catch her breath before joining them once more. Y/N wasn’t new to the world of kissing, but kissing Alex felt like she was experiencing it for the first time all over again. Within seconds, Alex was hovering over her, one hand behind her waist pulling her up to him and the other holding himself up. He held himself up with ease, the strength he’d built from work coming in handy. Y/N found it hot, how his biceps flexed as he leaned down over her. 

“Is this good?” He asked carefully, waiting patiently for a response from Y/N. She nodded timidly and Alex second-guessed if she actually wanted things to go any further so he started to pull away. That’s not what Y/N wanted, however, so she moved her hands from their place around his neck and moved them down his back until she got to the hem of his t-shirt. There was a brief moment of hesitation before she let her hands manoeuver under his t-shirt, her fingers dancing over his abs subtly. They were cold against his hot skin and Alex shivered above her with a shy smile, “I’ll take that as a yes.” 

Alex felt more alive than he ever had before. Every centimetre of his body felt like it was on fire and he was hyper-aware of her touch. He’d never been so close to somebody before, not only physically but emotionally or spiritually either. 

He loved her. Fully. 

It was impossible for him to fight the urge to feel her closer much longer. He was desperate for her…to have her near him, to feel her skin against his, to tell her how much he loved her without words. 

But that was only if she wanted him to. 

For now, he just wanted to focus on the way her lips felt against his. Warm and wet, like they were only ever supposed to be there, touching his. The arm that he had snaked around her waist minutes before lifted from the bed, bringing her closer to his body as he let himself lean down further too, their bodies touching the slightest bit. Alex had read in novels that people felt a spark when they touched the one they loved but he’d called it all poppycock. Until his torso pressed against hers. 

He cautiously deepened the kiss, knowing that she had more experience than him in this department and that there was a chance he was doing it all wrong. But he couldn’t sit back and do nothing. He craved her touch. He craved her. Y/N hesitated for the slightest second when his tongue traced over her bottom lip gingerly, not quite sure if Alex had meant to do it or not. But when she pushed her head as far back into the pillow as she could and locked eyes with him, seeing just how serious he looked, she cupped his cheeks again and pulled him into her.

Just as he needed her close, she needed him close. The little peck that they had first exchanged when they had climbed into the bed had quickly turned into a heated makeout session that left them both gasping for air and they were both growing ever so slightly annoyed that they had to break apart to breathe so often. Y/N made a mental note to herself to up her stamina for when Alex returned, needing to be able to kiss him for longer than a minute and a half before pulling away for breath. Alex let out a little groan, the frustration of having to stop kissing his girl just so that he could breathe kicking in faster than he could stop it. He’d happily never breathe again if it meant that he could kiss her always. 

Y/N’s senses were overwhelmed, the sound of Alex’s breathing–and her own–ringing in her ears, the taste of his tongue as it glided along hers, the feel of his fingers tracing small shapes into her side over her nightdress, the sight of him above her, muscles tensed and eyebrows creased as he tried to catch his breath, and the smell of _him _surrounding her. No matter what she did, she could see him, feel him, smell him, hear him, taste him. It was a different feel for her. The time when she was with George, she never enjoyed it, for his only focus was himself. But now? George wasn’t even a thought to her. 

It was all Alex.

Her hands shifted from his cheeks to his neck where she toyed with the few curls that sat at the nape of his neck before she rubbed over his shoulders, stopping short when she felt his tensed muscles. She was already so in love with him and she was in complete awe of his body but the feel of his muscles under her hands sent her dizzy. Alex couldn’t hold back the small smirk when he saw Y/N’s wide eyes, his head dipping down so that he could kiss her once more while her hands moved back to his abs. 

She trailed her fingertips all over his torso, trying to count how many abs he had resting upon his stomach. His lips were attached to hers again and she couldn’t help but moan into his mouth when he tugged lightly on her bottom lip with his teeth. He didn’t know why he did it, but knowing that it had Y/N making that noise, he would do it again. So he did, and he could see her eyes moving behind her eyelids. It drove him crazy, seeing her so vulnerable underneath him. 

All of his senses were amplified. Each touch to her skin sent shocks of electricity through his body; each time he brought his face to her neck he could smell the remnants of her perfume and it made his heart pound; each time his lips would brush against hers his eyes would want to screw shut; each time he heard her panting for breath he tried to memorise it and every time he looked at her and saw her eyes shut, mouth open partly and cheeks a little pinker, he fell more in love. 

When his lips reattached to her in yet another kiss, her hands moved from his torso to his back where she pulled him closer to her, her left leg bending at the knee so that it could rest against his hips. Her hands moved up the expanse of his back, her nails scratching at his skin ever so slightly. Lots of tiny goosebumps covered Alex’s body at the feel of her, and his head lolled to the side. His back was just as muscular as the rest of him, and Y/N could feel his muscles tense as he let himself lower down a little more over her. 

The black t-shirt that once covered his entire top half had been pushed up to his shoulders and Y/N couldn’t help but want it off completely. She pulled herself away from his lips quick enough to mutter, “off,” before pulling at the material harder as if it was going to magically get itself over his arms without him having to sit up. 

Alex let out a little chuckle at her impatience but he pushed himself up anyway. He was straddling her right thigh as he shimmied the top back down his body so that he could grab it easier to pull over his head. Y/N watched in pure wonderment. Her right hand rested upon his thigh and squeezed gently while the tip of her left index finger set between her teeth at the side of her mouth. 

As he threw the t-shirt onto the floor next to the bed, Y/N ran her hands down the front of his body once more, eyes slightly wide at the view before her. She had spent what felt like an eternity that evening feeling his muscles, but to be able to see them? That was what had her teeth coming to bite at her lip as she watched him intently. She was right, six beautiful abs sat on his stomach and made themselves known to her as she touched over them. 

“All mine,” she whispered, mostly to herself but also to Alex who wore a cheeky smirk. 

“All yours, darling…all yours.” As Alex lowered himself back down to Y/N, she had thought that he was going to connect their lips again and so she pushed hers out into the prettiest of pouts. But, he boycotted it and went straight for her jaw where he planted lots of tiny pecks. He shifted ever so slightly from above her and Y/N froze when she felt his hardening length pressing against her inner thigh. She couldn’t think about it too much, however, because he was relentless with the pecks that he was attacking her jaw with. It started to tickle her and her shoulders scrunched up as little guffaws sounded throughout the room. 

The sound alone was enough for Alex’s heart to grow to ten times its size. Hearing her giggle felt like the sun cutting through grey clouds that had been looming in the air for days. There had been grey clouds looming over Y/N and Alex since the very second he had uttered those six words that had changed their lives forever. Despite that, they were so happy being together and sharing such an intimate moment. 

Y/N was still in disbelief that she had managed to find someone as beautifully perfect as Alex. She was still in disbelief that he was real, and laying above her with his lips pressed to her jaw and only one hand holding him up. His right hand was resting on her waist, toying with the soft, silky material of her nightdress. It was gentle on his skin and he never wanted to pull away. Well, that was until the hem of it rode up and his pinky finger brushed against her hot skin. His breath got caught in his throat at the contact and he had to pull away from her jaw so that he could look at her and make sure that she was okay. 

“Why’d you pull away?” Y/N whispered with her eyes closed. Her skin felt cold without his supple lips pressed to it and the cool air of the room washed over them and made her feel colder. 

“I just, my finger was touching your thigh and I didn’t…didn’t want you feeling uncomfortable,” Alex muttered in low tones, his green eyes staring into hers as she smirked up at him. 

“If you’re not uncomfortable then I’m not uncomfortable.” Y/N’s words were clear yet quiet, almost as if she was nervous that she would scare Alex away. 

“Can I…can I um,” he stuttered, not quite sure how to word his question, “can I take it off for you? _Please_.” 

Y/N nodded eagerly, wiggling her bum enough for the dress to move to her waist so that Alex could remove it easier. He made light work of sitting himself back up, bunching the material in his hands, pulling it over her head and discarding it on the floor alongside the t-shirt that he had been wearing before. His eyes bulged out of his head at the sight of her boobs. At first, he was shocked because he’d never seen them before and he was at a loss for words. 

A giggle escaped him before he could even process it and the way Y/N licked her bottom lip into her mouth along with the view he had made his dick twitch in his bottoms. “Now I understand why all the lads at work are obsessed with their wives’ breasts,” he mumbled, a boyish smile plastered on his face. Though his mouth had gone dry. The night just kept getting better and he couldn’t help but stare at his girlfriend. 

Y/N’s hands moved to grip Alex’s and she guided them to her breasts, “You can touch them, you know.” She was trying to hold back a smile as Alex raised his eyebrows at her. “They won’t bite.” 

“What do I-“ Alex started but was cut off when he felt her nipple hardening under his palm. He hadn’t even moved his hand for he was in a state of shock but he pulled away quickly, worried that he’d hurt her. Y/N simply threw her head back in fits of laughter and had to rest her hand on her stomach to help compose herself. “What’s so funny?” 

“You-you pulled away because my nipples got hard? Button that’s a good sign.” She moved his hands back to her boobs and watched as he squeezed ever so lightly. It was a new sensation for them both and as Y/N’s eyes fluttered closed, Alex squeezed again, only a tiny bit harder and with a newfound purpose. He wanted to make her feel good. Her eyes rolled back in her head and Alex chuckled to himself, leaning himself back forward so that he could kiss her again. 

Y/N had other ideas though, so while Alex was delicately massaging her breasts, she dipped her head down so that she could kiss his neck feverishly. His movements on her boobs halted as he let out a dainty moan that had her smirking into his skin. She let her lips press into multiple different parts of his neck and pulled a few more moans from her boyfriend who had started to massage the other breast. “Feels so good, peach,” he breathed. 

“Yeah?” Alex meekly nodded, trying not to bump heads with Y/N. She was growing impatient, so as she grazed the skin of his neck with her teeth, she started to push his pyjama bottoms down his legs. Her arms were only long enough to get them to below his bum and she groaned in frustration but could feel Alex chuckle from above her. “It’s not funny, Alex.” 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” is all he offered before he pushed his trousers down his legs, letting Y/N use her feet to get them off of his ankles. She shoved them off of the bed before bringing Alex back to her lips to kiss him again. Her hand grabbed onto his wrist and she guided him down to her pants. Both of their breaths got stuck in their throat at the feeling, it being completely new. “Is this…is this good?” 

Y/N nodded, her breathing erratic as she helped Alex push her underwear to the side. “Oh wow yes,” she moaned as Alex drew his finger through her folds. He didn’t know what he was doing just as much as Y/N didn’t but he could tell that it was making her feel good. Her hands gripped around his biceps and she squeezed them tightly as he pressed a little harder on her clit on accident. He tried to pull away but she shook her head. “Don’t…stop.” 

“But-” 

“How about, I tell you if something doesn’t feel good? Please, though, do not stop doing that.” Alex nodded, continuing to rub at her gently. He was in awe of her and the way that he could make her feel so good just by a simple touch. Each time Alex drew his finger from her entrance to her clit, it grew a little wetter and easier to do and he was so confused about what was happening but he could see Y/N’s toes start to curl on the bed and her eyes were squeezed shut so he knew it must have felt good. He could feel his dick continue to twitch against her thigh and he wanted the moment to last forever. 

“Darling, I need-” Y/N nodded, pulling his hand away from her centre so that she could push her underwear down her legs. Alex helped her out, pulling them off of her ankles and dropping them to the floor before climbing back over her to kiss her lips. She moaned into his mouth and fumbled between them so that she could find his length. He hissed when she gripped it lightly, rubbing him a couple of times before guiding him to her entrance. “Are you sure?” 

“All that I am…is yours. I want this. I want you.” 

She could see his eyes roll into the back of his head as he entered her, and the stretch she felt left her breathing rapidly instantly.

“Blooming…wow,” he breathed, not being able to move for the feeling was so overwhelming for him. He felt like the luckiest man on the earth to be able to experience something so special with her and he was so glad that he was giving himself to Y/N. 

“Alex, please…move.” Alex pushed himself in gradually, the sensitivity he was feeling growing tenfold with each press of his hips. He couldn’t quite believe what was happening. He was overcome with the feeling of love, his heart pounding in his chest and his eyes getting teary as he watched the pleasure wash over the love of his life’s face. 

It was surreal, the way that she made him feel whole. She was truly his entire world and he was so unbelievably thankful that he got to spend seven glorious months with her before he had to leave. He knew that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her and he would do everything in his power to get back home to her. He had to get home to her. He had to marry her and show her just how serious he was about them both. 

Everything seemed to be in slow motion. The way he thrust into her so carefully, watching her face to make sure that she was okay; the way he continued to press gentle kisses to her lips; the way his hand moved from her waist to the side of her head where hers rested so that he could lace their fingers together. She was on cloud nine, so impossibly happy to be there with him, sharing something so intimate. For a while, she forgot that he was leaving her the next day. She forgot that she wouldn’t be able to feel that again…maybe ever. 

When Alex gave a thrust that was a little harder than the rest had been, she shot back a little harder and hit her head on the metal-framed headboard that had been hitting against the wall for a while with their movements. Alex’s movements halted instantly and he looked at his girlfriend for any sign of discomfort. Though he was met with a giggle from her. 

“That didn’t feel good,” she laughed, finding it hard to contain herself. Fits of giggles erupted from her and Alex looked at her in complete confusion before he started to join in with her laughing. He had to lower himself so that he didn’t lose his balance on his hand and fall on top of her. He was still inside of her and it felt weird at first to not be moving but seeing her laughing underneath him left him not caring. Her laugh was enough for his heart to swell and he forgot all about his worries. 

Neither of them could focus on sex for a few minutes, too busy trying to focus on their breathing so that they could actually think about what they were doing. The entire room was filled with two different laughs…Alex’s which somewhat resembled a cackle, and Y/N’s which was dainty and soft. The creaking of the bed had stopped and their breathing was going back to a somewhat normal pace again but they still laughed. Alex was relieved, that even though the situation was as different as it was, they could still laugh together and be happy. 

He had always imagined the first time that he had sex to be super serious and straight to the point. But that’s not how it was. Y/N was just as nervous as he was and the love that they shared was so prominent that they were able to have a laugh. Nothing was too serious between them and it all felt so…normal. 

“Okay, I good think I am again,” Y/N practically babbled, leaving Alex looking at her with creased eyebrows and a slight look of worry on his face. 

“What was that now?” 

“I said,” Y/N breathed, “I think I’m good again now.” She chuckled once more before kissing Alex’s lips, trying her best not to start laughing fully again. 

“Thought I’d given you concussion for a minute,” he whispered, earning himself a swat to the arm. “You sure you’re good?” 

Y/N nodded, taking a deep breath and waiting for Alex to move again. When he did, her eyes fell closed for what felt like the millionth time that night. Everything he did brought her so much pleasure and she could hardly contain herself. “You’re good.” 

Alex smirked on her lips as he continued his slow thrusting, feeling himself grow closer to his release with the firey pit at the bottom of his tummy. Y/N could feel his movements growing a little sloppier and she knew just as much as he did that he was close. His face fell forward into her neck and he placed sloppy kisses to the skin that matched the timing of his thrusts, her breasts bouncing each time she was pushed backwards slightly. The pleasure was overwhelming for them both. 

Y/N was so thankful that she’d met someone so amazing who wasn’t only focused on his own pleasure. She’d found someone who wanted her to feel just as good as he did, and who made his mission to make her know that. Everything that he’d done that night, Alex had asked Y/N if it was okay and if she was feeling good and every time that she told him that she did feel good, he’d ask her again just to be sure. He didn’t want to do anything that she might be uncomfortable with. 

A short minute later, Alex’s movements stopped momentarily, and his eyes were rolled into the back of his head. Never in his wildest dreams did he think that finding his release would feel so damn good. But being inside the girl of his dreams, with her hands tangled in his hair and her lips on his cheek left him feeling more pleasure than he thought possible. He moved his hips a couple more times until he was completely spent, falling forward and putting most of his weight onto Y/N who was breathing just as hard as he was. 

Her hands were still in his hair, massaging his scalp with a slight scratch from her nails and she felt like she was wrapped in bliss. She never wanted the moment to end. Alex’s hands moved to wrap around her waist and pull her as close to him as he could, the layer of sweat covering their bodies mixing and leaving them feeling rather sticky. But they were so caught up in the moment that neither of them cared. 

As their breathing got back to a normal rate, Alex turned them both over so that they were on their sides and he cupped her cheeks and kissed her tenderly. They lay in silence for a little while, a smile tugging at their lips as they looked at one another. Y/N was the first to let out a breathy laugh, not quite believing that they had finally had sex. Even though it would be frowned upon should someone find out, they were both so in love that they didn’t care. They wanted to spend any and all time together that they could. And they wanted to show the other that they were in love without uttering those words. 

The tips of Alex’s fingers moved to graze over Y/N’s cheek, her skin hot under his touch. She looked angelic in front of him, eyes droopy and lips wet. Her eyes appeared brighter than he’d ever seen them and he couldn’t miss the shy smile that she had plastered on her face. Exhaustion was evident on her face as her breathing grew slower and Alex knew that she’d be sleeping before he knew it. 

“I need to pee,” he blurted out quickly before widening his eyes and covering his mouth. Y/N only laughed, her head thrown back and eyes glistening. “I didn’t mean for that to come out so brash.” 

“Go pee, my lovely. I’m not going anywhere,” Y/N hummed as she blinked slowly, trying to keep herself awake long enough for him to wee and get back to her in bed. 

Alex stood up from the bed, bum on full show as he bent down quickly to find his pyjama bottoms. She lay in the bed biting her bottom lip as he walked away. “Your butt looks really good right now,” she sputtered, watching as Alex turned to look at her over his shoulder with the worst wink she’d ever seen. “I was gonna say that it’s doing things to me but then you ruined it with whatever the heck that weird twitch you just did with your eye was.” Within seconds she was rolling around the bed crying with laughter. He simply shook his head at her with a gentle pout before walking through to the bathroom quickly, his bum wiggling as he did. He’d done that on purpose and Y/N couldn’t help but laugh at him. 

It was less than a minute later that Y/N realised she also needed to pee, so she grabbed her pants from the floor and pulled them over her legs, letting the waistband snap against her when they were past her bum. Just as she was about to pick up the nightdress that she had packed, she saw Alex’s t-shirt and lifted that up instead. It was too big for her, the hem coming to the bottom of her bum and the material drowning her but it was comfortable. Not to mention the fact that it smelt like him. 

She padded through the hallway and toward the bathroom door where she heard a flush and the taps on the sink running. Her fingers delicately tapped on the door and it swung open seconds later, Alex’s face dropping when he saw her in his top. She looked ethereal in it. The arms of the sleeve ended close to her elbows and the neckline was dipping down close to her boobs. He had to close his mouth to stop himself from drooling at the sight. 

Y/N squeezed past him and into the small, cold bathroom where she closed the door and peed quickly. Even though she had less than a minute to herself, she took deep breaths to calm her breathing. She’d just had sex with Alex and she was…beyond ecstatic. It was all she’d ever dreamt of and more. Having someone so intent on her pleasure too was all that she could have wanted and Alex was more than amazing. Even when she had told him that she would tell him if something didn’t feel good, he would still ask her every now and then if she was okay and if what he was doing felt good. 

After she had finished on the toilet and washed her hands, she pulled the bathroom door open and saw Alex standing at the top of the stairs waiting for her. “Ready?” He asked and she nodded, grabbing a hold of the hand that he had offered out to her and following him through to the bedroom. She didn’t have a chance to sit down on the bed before Alex had lifted her into his arms and thrown her onto the bed with a thud, climbing over her and pressing his fingers into her sides and pulling a torturous laugh from her. “This is your punishment for laughing at my wink.” 

He didn’t stop his attack on her sides as she squirmed under him, squealing when he hit a particularly ticklish spot. “ALEX! Please, I’m sorry.” 

“What was that? I didn’t hear you,” he spoke through a laugh, continuing to attack her sides. 

“I’m-” she paused to let out a rather loud laugh, kicking her feet onto the bed, “I’m sorry.” 

“Sorry? What for?” 

“FOR LAUGHING AT YOUR WINK! IT’S THE BEST WINK EVER!” Alex stopped tickling her and brought his lips to hers in a heated kiss. “I love your wink.” Her fingers created air quotes around wink and his mouth fell open, tickling her sides once more before stopping so that he could kiss her again. 

“I love my wink too.” 

Alex climbed off of Y/N, letting her get herself comfortable near the wall before he laid down himself, pulling the duvet over both of them and sighing to himself. Y/N pressed herself into his side and nuzzled her face into his neck, breathing in his scent and feeling her eyes fall closed almost instantly. She was forever content when she was around Alex, and the tiniest little action was enough for her to fall into a state of pure bliss. That was one of those times. His left arm was wrapped around her shoulder and he pulled her impossibly close to him and his right hand was resting on her hip as she got herself situated. 

It didn’t take long for her breathing to become slower and Alex could hear the smallest of snores leaving her. He smiled at her before taking in every tiny detail of her. The way her eyelashes fanned against the tops of her soft cheeks. The way her eyes moved around under her eyelids as she did sleep. The way her hands gripped onto him as though she was scared to let go. The way her lips grew dry from breathing through her mouth and not to forget the way that her left leg clamped around his so that he couldn’t go anywhere even if he wanted to. 

“Goodnight, my love,” he whispered as his lips hovered over her forehead. He kissed her gently before resting his head on hers and allowing his eyes to close. He didn’t want to go to sleep because he was afraid to wake up. Waking up would mean that he had to say goodbye and he just wasn’t ready. 

*** 

**November 11th, 1939 **

Y/N was the first to wake up, her face still in Alex’s neck and his arms wrapped tightly around her. It felt amazing, waking up and having him wrapped around her. It was something that she could get used to. Except, she couldn’t get used to it. He was leaving in a matter of hours and she didn’t know when the next time she would see him would be…if at all. The clock on the bedside table read 6:45 so she let Alex sleep for longer. There was no telling that Alex would get another good night’s sleep so she wanted him to rest as much as he could. 

Though, she took time to admire him as he slept. He was gorgeous when he was awake but when he was sleeping? He was something else. His hair was messy against the pillow and nowhere near as kept as it was when he was awake. His eyelids were still slightly shiny and soft looking. His lips were slightly drier than normal but they still looked so kissable. She felt safe in his arms, so safe that she didn’t even think about what was happening only 4 hours later. 

When she heard him stir, she tilted her head back up so that she could look at him and he dropped his head down so that he could look at her. Despite their morning breaths, they still pressed their lips together and they both hummed at the same time. 

“Good morning, Button.” 

“Morning, Peach. Sleep well?” Y/N nodded, a smile taking over her face. “Good. You don’t-you don’t regret anything from last night, do you?” 

Y/N’s heart fell a little at his question, not quite sure where it was coming from. “Not one bit, why…do you?” 

“Heck no! I just wanted to be sure.” 

“I mean what I said, Alex. All that I am is yours. You mean the world to me and I loved last night.” 

Alex nodded, bringing his lips to hers again and letting her cup his cheeks in her hands. She held onto him so tightly as they kissed, Alex deepening it rather quickly. It’d been less than twelve hours since their first kiss but it had felt like they had been kissing one another for years already. Y/N moaned into Alex’s mouth and he breathed a laugh at her desperation. He turned over so that he was hovered over her and started to kiss down her neck. His lips were warm and his tongue was wet when it poked out and licked a cautious stripe over her skin. 

“Oh wow…” Y/N let out, tangling her hands into Alex’s hair and tugging at the roots. “That feels so good, Button.” 

“Mm?” Alex hummed against her neck, suckling a rather harsh kiss to it and feeling her jolt from under him. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” He kissed over the spot before running his thumb over the area. 

His lips met Y/N’s again before he pulled at the top of his she was wearing and pulled it over her top half, admiring her body as it fell to the floor. His lips trailed from her neck down her chest and toward the waistband of her pants where he pulled away, pushing the material off of her legs and kissing her lips again. He didn’t want to do anything that she would be uncomfortable with and by the way she squirmed under him, he didn’t think that she was. Instead, he touched her with his fingers again…just as he had the night before. 

Her hips bucked upwards and he chuckled at her, “Patience, little one.” He was growing confident, the night before having shown him a little more on what to do to make her feel good. He pressed little circles onto her clit and her mouth fell into an ‘o’ shape as she gripped his biceps…again. 

“Oh, Alex!” 

“Feel good?” Y/N nodded furiously, moaning loudly as Alex continued. “Gonna make you feel so good.” 

He pulled his fingers away and pushed his trousers down his legs, his dick twitching against his stomach as he looked up at her. His fingers dawdled up her stomach, stopping to massage her right breast before moving it up to cup her neck where he pulled her into him so that he could kiss her again. He would never tire of having her lips on his. 

When he pushed into her, they both moaned out in pure bliss, the feeling still new and exciting but so much better than it had been the night before. They kind of knew what they were doing that time and it felt so much less awkward. Sure, there was a slight awkwardness to it, but it was nowhere near like what it had been the first time. 

“I’m so glad my mum isn’t here yet. She’d definitely know what was going on with the creaking this bed is making,” Alex breathed out, earning an amused eye roll from Y/N.

*** 

“ALEX?! Y/N?! BREAKFAST IS READY!” Florence called from downstairs. She had turned up less than five minutes after they had finished having sex. They were both laid on their backs panting for breath when Florence announced that she had arrived and Y/N had immediately sat up to grab her nightdress to throw on. 

“I’m gonna go get dressed quickly,” Y/N announced, kissing Alex on the lips and hurrying toward his bedroom door. 

“There’s something in the wardrobe for you.” She turned to him with creased brows and he only attempted to wink again, leaving her laughing at him. “Oh shut up! You know you love this wink.” 

“Mmmm,” she hummed, leaving him alone in his room to get dressed. He pulled the uniform that he’d been given the day prior out of his wardrobe and held it up. The brown material was harsh to the touch and it was the least flattering thing ever but he had to wear it. 

It took him a lot longer than he had anticipated to put it on and when he got downstairs, Y/N was already there with his mum helping to plate up their breakfast. He stopped in his tracks when he saw her, the dress he had bought her a lot shorter than he had thought it would be. What he thought would go to her knees came only to her mid-thigh and was a lot shorter than what would be classed as socially acceptable to wear outside in front of others. She looked gorgeous though, the white material falling over her body perfectly and making the last of her summer tan stand out. 

“Wow,” he breathed. Y/N turned around with a shy smile while Florence looked at him with raised eyebrows. “I didn’t realise that it was so short.” He grabbed her right hand and spun her around, laughing when she shrieked and held the material down so that it didn’t expose anything to his mum who stood watching them. 

“Alex, do you think I’m an elf or something?” 

“I thought it was longer! I told the woman in the shop that you were yae high,” he said, holding his hand up to his ear where the top of Y/N’s head sat, “and that’s what she brought me. Though, I do remember telling her that you’re tiny so that could still be my bad.” 

Y/N’s mouth fell open and she swatted his arm, “Oi! I am not that short.” 

“Peach, you’re tiny. Don’t deny it.” 

“Fine. But this dress is still too short to wear out in public!” 

*** 

After breakfast, Y/N insisted on clearing up, telling Florence to spend some time with her son before he left. Secretly, she just wanted some time to herself to have a little cry. She knew that it was risky, allowing herself ten minutes to let the tears flow when Alex and Florence were meters away from her, but she had to do it. So, she stacked the pots that had been used for breakfast and carried them into the kitchen where she started to clean them. 

The tears started off slow to start, falling every ten seconds and landing in the washing up bowl as she scrubbed the plates and bowls. But when she heard Alex telling his mum how much he was going to miss her, they started to fall quicker. Truth be told, she was fed up of crying by that point, needing to feel some normalcy in her life. That wouldn’t happen though, not with Alex leaving her on her own. 

They would be going from seeing each other at least once a week, and talking on the phone every other day, to not speaking to each other at all apart from through letters. She didn’t know how she was going to cope. Her mind raced with possibilities. How often was she going to be able to write him a letter? How often would she get a response? Would she ever see him again? Would she ever feel his lips on hers again? 

She was pulled out of her thoughts when two arms snaked around her waist and pulled her into a body. Alex stood behind her and pressed gentle kisses to the base of her neck and down her shoulder. He moved her hair out of the way and breathed her in. 

“Heard you crying, everything okay?” 

“Mmm,” she replied, squeezing her eyes shut to stop the tears. 

Alex didn’t want to push her further, so he pulled her even closer to him and pressed a rather sloppy kiss to the crook of her neck. Florence stood in the doorway of the dining room watching her son get cuddly with Y/N and her heart swelled. He was happy, so she was happy. 

“I’m sorry to umm…interrupt, but I’ve forgotten something at home. I’m just gonna go grab it but I’ll meet you outside at 10:30?” 

“Okay,” Alex said, not looking at his mum. “See you soon.” 

When Alex was sure that Florence had left the house, he grabbed onto the plate that Y/N was washing and put it back into the water before turning her around to face him. Her cheeks were red and she had a pout on her face. Grabbing the towel from the work surface, Alex dried her hands and moved them so that they were wrapped around his neck. 

“Kiss me,” Y/N begged, needing to feel Alex as close as possible for the rest of the time she had with him. There was no way that he was going to refuse her a kiss that she so badly craved. So he pressed his lips to hers hungrily, feeling her run her hands through his dark locks before resting them back at his neck. 

Alex stepped backwards through the kitchen and toward the dining table all while keeping his lips on Y/N’s. She had to help guide him through the house and they let out soft giggles as they walked, their teeth clashing together slightly and creating a small amount of pain but they didn’t care. They continued to kiss one another, Alex’s tongue tracing over Y/N’s bottom lip before brushing against hers when her mouth opened. 

He sat down when he felt the backs of his knees hit one of the dining chairs and he pulled Y/N on top of him. Her legs found their place at either side of his thighs and she was sat right above his dick. Their lips broke apart only for them to take a breath before they were connected once more. 

When Y/N ground down onto Alex’s dick, his breath caught in his throat and he pulled away from her lips just enough to mutter, “It’s only been two hours since you last had me. Surely you can’t want me again already.” 

“I want you.” Her words came out as a breathy whisper and he was gone. His dick was already hardening in his trousers and hearing her say those three words had him metaphorically falling to his knees. She was his weakness and she knew it. 

“God, I want you too, baby.” 

“Say that again,” Y/N begged softly. There was something about the way that he let the word fall from his lips that had her growing hotter for him. It was so innocent yet so filthy coming from him. His eyes held an amused hint to them as he let the words roll off his tongue again. He knew which word she meant. How could he not when her face contorted in a way he’s never seen before when he’d said it the first time. 

“I want you too…_baby_. I want you so bad.” He pushed his hips up slightly and chuckled when Y/N’s mouth fell open and she gripped onto his neck to steady herself, grinding down again. “You’re gonna be the death of me, Peach.” 

“That’s the plan,” she chuckled, standing up momentarily to stand before him. She sank down onto her knees and Alex’s eyes nearly bulged out of his head. Her hands made short work of unbuttoning and unzipping his trousers and she tapped his hips quickly. “Lift your hips for me, gorgeous.” 

He did as he was told and Y/N pulled his trousers over his bum and down to his legs, bringing her face to his underwear covered length and kissing it ever so gently. Alex’s hips bucked up and she let out a soft chuckle. She stood back up, kissing his lips and pushing her underwear down her legs and letting them rest next to his boot covered feet. Alex didn’t know where his sweet and beyond innocent girlfriend had gone but he wasn’t complaining. He loved her so much and seeing her so excited to please him left him completely at her mercy. 

“Take your pants off for me.” He didn’t need to be told twice, lifting his bum up again to take his black underwear off. It sat at his knees with his trousers and he sat as still as he could while Y/N lifted her left leg up and over his, straddling his hips and pressing her lips to his in a hungry kiss. 

She was teasing without even realising it, her wet centre being so close to his hard length but not quite touching it. “Baby, please don’t leave me hanging.” 

“You know, if you keep calling me baby it’s gonna get old really quickly,” Y/N joked, winking (perfectly) at Alex before trailing her hand from his cheek down his uniform covered torso and down to his dick that sat proudly. “You know, you look so good in this uniform.” 

“Mm?” 

“Yeah. Deliciously irresistible.” She pumped his dick a couple of times before lining him up with her entrance for the second time that morning, sinking down onto him at an agonisingly slow pace. The new position had her eyes rolling into the back of her head instantly and her head lolled back so Alex took advantage and started to attack it in kisses. He sucked on her skin in multiple places and let out a groan when Y/N was sat on him fully. Her walls fluttered around him and he had to take a deep breath to stop himself from coming undone on the spot. “So good.” 

Y/N rolled her hips over Alex’s slowly, needing time to get used to the new position which had her stretching around him more than she had before. Filthy moans left her mouth as she moved on him, alternating her movements from soft rolls of her hips to light bounces on him. The room was filled with the sound of their skin meeting and their moans which seemed to bounce off of every wall around them. 

Y/N’s face dropped completely when she felt Alex’s thumb rubbing at her clit in fast circles, her hips halting their movements as she got used to the new sensation.

“Don’t stop doing that, oh wow.” Her words were dripping with desperation and Alex loved how she was at his mercy then. She was done teasing him and she needed to feel him. 

“Come on, Peach. Keep moving for me.” 

She shook her head vigorously, “I can’t.” She was almost crying at the pleasure and it only intensified when Alex moved his thumb from her clit and gripped her sides in his hands, planting his feet firmly on the floor and thrusting up into her. He was hitting all the deep places in her and her eyes rolled into the back of her head. 

Never before had she felt pleasure like it. Her head fell forward onto Alex’s shoulder and she gripped his shirt tightly, her knuckles growing white quickly. 

“Alex-” 

“Shh, I’ve got you. It’s okay.” He didn’t let up on his thrusts, hitting her deepest spot over and over again. She kept crying out in pleasure, her body starting to shake above him as he continued. “Hey, hey, look at me.” 

She used all of her energy to look up at him, tears in her eyes and lips growing dry. 

“Do you trust me?” She merely nodded, her bottom lip coming out into a pout that Alex kissed quickly. “Relax for me.” 

He started to slow his thrusts down enough for Y/N to get comfortable but it wasn’t long before she was moving her hips to meet them and he knew that she wanted more. He wanted more too. So he quickened his pace again, watching his love’s eyes rolling into the back of her head and hearing her moan louder than she had before. It was overwhelming and it brought him to his end. 

There was something about seeing Alex finish, along with the incredible rushes of pleasure that were filling Y/N that brought a feeling she’d never felt before. 

She let out a drawn-out, “Fuuuck,” as she felt wave after wave of pleasure hit her. Never before had she said such a foul word and it caught her off guard. It caught Alex off guard too for he hadn’t expected something so foul to fall from her lips ever. She was shaking above him again and she couldn’t form any words, just cut short moans as she struggled to catch her breath. Her chest heaved as Alex stopped his movements, hands on Y/N’s hips to steady her. 

When she finally managed to catch her breath a few minutes later, she looked at him in amusement. 

“Well, that was new,” Y/N chuckled. 

“Are you…are you okay?” Alex asked worriedly, never having seen her so worked up after sex. The feeling was new to them both and they’d just assumed that the insane amount of pleasure that Y/N felt during sex was her undoing but apparently it wasn’t. 

“I’m more than okay,” she spoke softly as she rested her forehead on his, a giddy smile taking over her face. “Never been better, to tell you the truth.” 

“Did you-” Alex started, eyes widening as Y/N nodded at him with a childish giggle. “God, you’re so beautiful.” He pressed his lips to hers before helping her ease him out of her and stand up, passing her the underwear she had been wearing to put back on while he sorted himself out. 

***

Y/N walked out of the house first, pulling the coat tighter around her body to fight the bitter cold of the November weather. She refused to change out of the dress though. Alex had bought it for her and she wanted to wear it, though she wished she’d put some tights on with it. Alex followed close behind her, his hand on her lower back as he locked his front door for the final time before he left. 

Florence stood at the end of the driveway wearing the same coat she had been when she first met Y/N, and her handbag was hanging on her shoulder too. “Come on, you two. We need to get going,” she spoke and the three of them started their walk down the empty street that led to the train station, and Alex had Y/N’s hand gripped in his tighter than he ever had before. 

Alex rubbed at his thighs as he walked down the street, a dull ache prominent from minutes prior.

“You alright, Alex?” Florence queried, earning a small nod from him. 

“Yeah, ‘t’s just a little colder than I expected is all.” 

“Colder?” Florence asked in surprise. “It’s the middle of blooming November. It’s actually warmer than expected today.” 

“That’s what I mean. Unseasonably warm, innit?” He retorted, leaving Y/N to roll her eyes at him. 

“Shut up, oh my god.” She chuckled around her words, still holding onto Alex’s hand to steady herself. Her own thighs were burning but she didn’t want to make a fuss because Florence was already suspicious of Alex. 

***

The train station was heaving. Hundreds of soldiers waiting to board the rust coloured train were surrounded by their loved ones and Alex was no different. He was stood in front of his mum and his girlfriend, both of them having a hand on one of his arms to comfort both him and themselves. They were quiet for a while, not knowing the best thing to say. 

“I can’t believe that you’re really going,” Florence spoke and broke the silence, “you’re going to do us all so proud.” 

“I hope so. But I’ll be back.” Alex repeated the four words that he’d said on a loop for three whole days. It had started as him promising Y/N but it had soon turned into him saying it to himself. He needed himself to know that he would be okay and that he’d be back. He would get home to the people that he loved. There was no way that he couldn’t. “I love you, mum.” 

Alex wrapped his arms around his mum and held her tight, never wanting to let go. He needed to get home to her. Who would look after her when she grew old if he wasn’t there? She had to have the best of the best and that meant that he needed to be there to help her. No matter what. 

“I love you too, baby boy.” Florence pulled away and rested her hand on his cheek, feeling as he pressed himself into it with a sad smile. “I’m already so proud of you, you know that, right?” 

“I do.” 

Alex turned to Y/N and grabbed her hands, pulling her into his body and wrapping his arms around her. He swayed her gently, humming the tune of Five Minutes More to her. The world around them seemed to slow down as they stood together. They weren’t dancing but they weren’t stood still. They swayed for a few minutes in one another’s embrace while the train was starting to fill with soldiers. He didn’t want to pull away. 

“There’s something I need to tell you before I get on that train,” Alex whispered into Y/N’s hair, pushing her back ever so slightly so that he could look into her eyes, “I’ve fought with myself about telling you this for a while and I am so sorry that I’m telling you now.” 

“Alex?” 

“I love you,” he blurted. “I’ve loved you for a while now and I know for a fact that I would regret not telling you for the rest of my life if I didn’t.” 

Y/N’s heart stopped. The thing that she had longed for him to say for so long was finally falling from his lips and she felt so strange. She was in love with him and had been for months, but hearing the words leave him only minutes before he was getting on a train and heading somewhere for however long left her heart sinking to the pit of her stomach. Her eyes stung with the threat of tears and all she could do was let Alex cup her cheeks. 

“I love you too,” Y/N spoke as the first tears fell from her eyes. “I’ve loved you for so long and it’s shit that you have to leave just as I get to tell you.” She didn’t care that she’d sworn in front of Florence. She was so heartbroken that Alex was leaving. 

Alex didn’t want to leave. He didn’t want to leave her on her own. But he had to. 

“I’ll be back.” 

“Alex, don’t-” 

“Don’t what? Promise you that I’ll come back for you? I love you, Y/N. I love you more than I’ve ever loved anything in my life. I’ve given you my everything and I’m going to continue to give you my everything. I love you.” 

“I love you too,” she whispered, throwing herself forward into his arms and burying her face in the harsh material of his army uniform. 

He was really going. 

Y/N pulled away and pressed her lips to Alex’s just as the sky turned a dull, dark colour and the heavens opened. Their tears were masked with the large raindrops that were falling onto their face and slicing their skin with the cold of them. Alex held onto Y/N’s waist and pulled her into his body fully, not once breaking their kiss. One of his hands moved to cup her cheek where he brushed along the underside of her eye with his thumb. 

For years, Y/N had wondered what a kiss in the rain would be like and she was finally getting one, with the love of her life no less. It was a slightly salty kiss, what with the tears that were escaping both of them landing on their lips. Neither of them pulled away though, not even when they needed to breathe. They were drunk on each other. Drunk on the love that they shared and had shared for so long. 

Florence stood to the side and watched as her son kissed the girl like his life depended on it, like kissing her was his dying wish. She let a few tears of her own roll down her face. All that she had hoped for her son was that he would find a woman whom he could love with his entire heart, who would marry him and love him for the rest of his life. She wanted him to find someone who would give him children and make him feel like the luckiest man in the world. 

And just as soon as he had found that woman, he was being torn away from her to fight for his country. She was proud of him though, for doing what was right, but it didn’t stop her heart from breaking. That’s when she saw it, the darkening purple mark on Y/N’s neck. A small smile made its way to her face and she rolled her eyes playfully to herself. Of course, that’s why they were so out of breath when they’d left the house an hour earlier. 

Y/N pulled away from the kiss first and just rested her forehead on Alex’s, taking a few seconds to breathe. “I’m going to miss you so much.” 

“I’m going to miss you too. But I’m going to write to you all of the time, okay?” Y/N nodded, not letting her eyes meet Alex’s. “Hey, look at me.” Y/N did as he requested and the sight before him broke his heart more. Her eyes were red and puffy and her nose was started to run from the crying. “I love you so much, you know that right?” 

“I love you.” 

“ALL ABOARD!” The train conductor yelled and Y/N swore that her heart couldn’t possibly break anymore. 

She looked up at Alex with the largest lump in her throat and she choked back a sob. She needed more time. _They _needed more time. 

“Alex…” she breathed, bunching his shirt in her hands, “please…don’t leave me.” The tears were flowing freely and she could feel herself getting more worked up. Her breathing was rapid, and she couldn’t breathe properly. She’d told herself for three whole days that Alex leaving was all but a dream and that she would wake up and everything would be okay. But as she stood and pinched her arm, she didn’t wake up. She was already awake and everything happening was really happening. “Don’t leave me.” 

“Peach-” 

“Don’t leave me, Alex. I’m begging you to stay here with me…_please_.” The fact that she was making a scene on the platform didn’t bother her. She wanted Alex. “I just need five minutes more…I can’t have you leaving me.” 

“I wish I could give you more than five minutes…but I don’t have time for that. I have to go.” Alex’s face was blotchy from the tears that were falling down his own cheeks. Seeing his darling in so much emotional pain hurt him physically. His heart felt like there was a knife in it and it was twisting, leaving him short of breath and fighting back sobs. 

The rain continued to pelt down onto the ground and was soaking them through to their very core. “Go on, Alex. I’ll make sure she’s okay,” Florence spoke up shakily. “I love you, son.” 

“I love you too, mum.” Alex wrapped his arms around his mum one last time before planting his lips on Y/N’s. He was going to miss her so fucking much. “I love you.” 

“I love you,” Y/N choked, letting go of Alex and watching as he walked away from her and toward the train that was tearing him away from her. She turned into Florence and sobbed into her coat, shaking fiercely as she did. “This hurts so much.” 

Florence didn’t have a chance to reply as a loud rumble of thunder sounded all around, causing Y/N to jump with a yelp. Alex had heard and he turned around to look at her, his heart breaking more as she held her hand out to grab onto his. He was too far away to grab hers and he was pushed closer to the train by a burly man who looked less than impressed with the young couple. 

“Get your arse on the fucking train,” he uttered, leaving Alex to turn away from his girl so that he could climb onto the dark metal train. 

He immediately turned left and rushed to a seat with a table to sit down, Y/N only a few meters away from him. The palm of his hand pressed onto the glass as he watched her sob. She still managed to look so beautiful stood in front of him. The coat that Florence had encouraged her to wear pulled tightly around her body to shield her from the relentless rain and she still looked so soft to him. He wanted to go and kiss her one last time. 

“Hiya,” a man greeted as he sat beside Alex, holding his hand out in an effort to be friendly. “My name’s Tommy.”

“Alex,” he responded, not even bothering to look at the stranger or shake his hand. He couldn’t take his eyes off of Y/N. She was staring at him with her hand over her lips. Her tears were mixing with the raindrops that were falling from the sky in haste and splashing up from whatever they were landing on. 

“I’m leaving my parents behind. That’s my Mum in the yellow coat, she’s devastated. Who are you leaving behind?” 

“The love of my life,” he spoke monotonously, not caring for the stranger who was just trying to be nice. He couldn’t take his eyes off of his love who was staring back at him so intently. He wanted to tell her again. He needed her to know just how much he loved her and that he would do everything in his power to get back home to her. He _had _to get home to her. 

A second man joined Alex in his little seating area of the train and he wanted to groan. He wanted to be left alone. Alex didn’t pay any attention to the guy but he could tell that he had dark hair just like himself, but it was messy and not well looked after in the slightest. Tommy, on the other hand, paid close attention to the new stranger who kept glancing between the lovebites that sat proudly on Alex’s exposed collarbones and his left hand. There wasn’t a wedding band there like he’d have thought. 

“Yes mate!” He started, “Is the bird out there? Or is there more than one, you little player?” 

Alex was baffled, annoyed that a complete stranger would not only call him a player but that he would objectify women in such a nonchalant way. His eyes kept on Y/N as he answered, “My fiancée is out there, thank you very much.” 

“She’s bloody gorgeous. Absolute catch, mate.” Tommy quipped, earning the lightest of breathy laughs from Alex. It was the first time he had even slightly smiled since he had said goodbye but it didn’t last long. 

“She is. Truly the love of my life.” To Alex, Y/N seemed to be the only person in colour, everyone around her a haze of black and white. Even from inside the train where there were raindrops running down the window and hindering his view, he could see her perfectly. He loved her so much. 

“Which one is she, mate?” The second man asked casually, looking around at the sea of people outside of the train, all of which had tears in their eyes and big frowns on their faces. 

“That’s none of your business.” 

“The one in the white dress.” 

Alex and Tommy spoke at the same time, but Tommy regretted it instantly when Alex turned to him with a scowl, not appreciating the random guy sharing his private life, before looking back to Y/N who happened to move her eyes from Alex to the man across from him. 

Alex saw her face drop and dread wash over her beautiful features. She felt sick as she looked back to Alex, the tears falling harder down her cheeks as she choked out a sob. It couldn’t be happening. There was no way that the man across from Alex was who she thought it was. That wasn’t possible. 

Alex looked at the love of his life who was crying harder than she had all day before turning to look at the man across from him who had seen the way Y/N looked at him and was sporting a sly smirk. “Oh yeah, I test drove that car before I married her too, thank god I did, wasn’t worth the price.” 

The train started its descent down the tracks, the chugging sound just as loud as the rampant rainfall outside but the loudest thing was Alex’s heart pounding in his chest. Before he had even uttered a word, Alex wanted nothing more than to kill him but it suddenly all made sense. The way that he had gotten excited when he saw the remnants of Alex’s time spent with Y/N that morning without seeing a wedding ring on his finger. The guy had caused Y/N so much more stress and sadness just by looking at him and he had the fucking nerve to flaunt the fact that he’d slept with her before they were married? Alex’s chest heaved as he breathed heavily, eyes left in a scowl as he looked at the man before him, annoyed that he hadn’t been able to give Y/N one last look before she was a mere dot in the distance. 

George. 


	4. IV

**November 11th, 1939**

Y/N couldn’t bring herself to go back to Alex’s house once the train had disappeared into the horizon, the rain still pelting down and slashing at her face. Florence was going to head back to her son’s house just to make sure that it was clean and tidy so they say their goodbyes and she was on her way. Y/N stayed on the platform for a little while longer, staring at the spot in the distance where Alex’s train had gone, hoping that it would turn around and head back to the station. Everyone else who had once populated the station had long gone, having wiped the tears from under their eyes and headed back to their homes. 

Y/N couldn’t do that though.

“I’ll wait forever,” she whispered into the wind which was still howling around the rain. The storm hadn’t been expected by anybody which is why most people left the station so soon after the train had left. Y/N couldn’t feel her legs from the cold and her coat was sopping wet but she didn’t care. Her ears had started to sting from the temperature, but she pulled the scarf that Florence had wrapped around her in an attempt to hide the darkening purple mark that had been left there by Alex further up her neck until she was warmer.

Even though Matilda and Richard attended church often, Y/N had never really attended with them but as she stood on the dull, grey concrete of the train station, she closed her eyes with her head tilted slightly to the sky and uttered a quick prayer in hopes that something would happen. 

“I’m not quite sure who I’m talking to right now, and I know that if someone were to walk past me right now, they would think that I’m a little loopy but here goes nothing anyway. Please, if you can hear me, keep Alex safe. Let him come home in one piece.” She didn’t know what she was doing, nor would she ever, but she was doing it anyway no matter the end result. “Look out for him, yeah? He doesn’t deserve to be going to fight but here we are. He’s the kindest, most gentle souled man and he’s the love of my life. I will never love another man the way that I love him and I need him to come to me, _please_.” 

For a little while after she had finished talking, her eyes remained closed and when she finally opened them, the rain had stopped falling and there was a small sliver of blue sky appearing. She had hoped that when she opened her eyes, Alex would be stood in front of her with one of his warm smiles that she loved ever so dearly. But instead she was met with the icy glare of nothing. She blinked slowly before taking a deep breath and finally turning so that she could walk home, but not without one last glance over her shoulder to check that she hadn’t missed the train coming back. 

As she stepped onto Station Road, a large gust of wind blew throughout the town and lifted the bottom of her coat up, attacking her bare legs. She shoulders shook in a harsh shiver as she started her walk. The heels of her court shoes tapped against the concrete in the same manner that Alex’s would whenever he was walking. 

It was then, as she really listened to the way she walked, that she realised she wouldn’t get to hear Alex’s shoes on the path for a long while. It was all the little things that she was going to miss about him like the way that he always bought her a bouquet of white gardenias whenever he would be seeing her, or the way that his cologne would transfer onto her clothes whenever they embraced. She was even going to miss the way that he made her laugh so much that it physically hurt her to breathe. 

There was an Alex shaped hole in her heart and she was 100% sure that it would never heal. Well, at least not until he was with her once again, with his arms wrapped tightly around her body as he pressed his perfect lips to her forehead over and over again, whispering just how much he loved her. The three words that Y/N had wanted to say for so long were finally said, a mere five minutes before he climbed onto the train and left for an unspecified amount of time. 

Y/N had spent a rather large chunk of the year dreaming about the day that she would find someone that she could love with her whole heart…someone who would love her back just as much. She wanted the unconditional love that she had heard so many people talk about before. George wasn’t that person for her and she had come to terms with that. But she still wanted it. She had found that love in Alex. What Y/N hadn’t anticipated when she had been thinking about finding someone to love, was just how fast they would walk into her life. Without knowing it at the beginning, Alex had walked into her life at the perfect time. Though he hadn’t just walked into her life. He had walked directly into her heart. Alex was wholly invested in their relationship and was willing to work twice as hard as necessary to make sure that it remained a healthy, positive relationship for them both. 

He was her only and she knew it would be that way forevermore. 

As she rounded the corner and into the park she let out a little sniffle, the effects of being stood outside in the cold and rainy weather catching up to her. Her eyes immediately found the bench that she had decided to sit on for a little while before she finally made her way home to her parents who were waiting for her. In seven whole months, Y/N had only been to the park once to wallow in her own thoughts. As she’d told Alex when they were there together, she had no reason to go as he was always there for her when she felt down. All she had to do was call him and he would be with her in less than 20 minutes, ready to hold her and listen to whatever it was that she had to say. 

She wished that she could call him up and that he would turn up at her front door and hold her but he couldn’t do that because he was on a train heading to battle…with her ex-fiancé. The thought of that alone was enough to make Y/N feel sick to her stomach. She was beyond thankful that Alex was a sweet, considerate man who would be as civil as he could be around George. Though then again, maybe Alex didn’t know that it was George. There was every chance that he hadn’t seen the way her face dropped when she saw the man sitting across from Alex. She hoped that he hadn’t. 

Before she knew it, she was stood in front of the bench and when it came in contact with her legs, she sank down onto it. The metal was cold against her bare skin but she ignored it, bending her knees and hugging them close to her chest. In the distance she could see a couple of children playing on the swings and the squeak of the metal chains scraping against the frame reverberated in her ears. It was a sound that brought back good memories for Y/N. Mildred and herself would spend hours as children on the exact same swing set, taking it in turns to push the other person. When she thought about it, Y/N had been fond of the park since she could remember. 

As she sat on the bench, she didn’t cry. She had no tears left to cry. For days she had done nothing but weep and she was pretty sure that her body would never be able to make tears again. Not that she would mind in the slightest. The last thing she wanted to do was cry. If she were being truthful, she thought that when Alex left she would feel great pain that caused her to physically hurt. Instead she felt absolutely nothing. She was empty. Her mind was completely blank and she hadn’t noticed the fact that the sound of the swings had stopped. 

Her eyes remained on the grass in front of her until someone sat beside her and startled her. She moved her legs so that they were dangling over the seat normally and looked to the person who had sat down. Y/N immediately recognised the friendly face. The last time that she had seen her, she had been walking through the park with Alex’s hand holding hers tightly and the woman was with her husband. 

“I thought that it was you, lovie,” the woman started, getting herself a little bit comfier on the bench and resting her handbag upon her knee. She wore a red jumper that was tucked into the right hand side of her black skirt and she had a thick coat wrapped around her too. “What’s a beautiful girl like yourself doing out here all on your own on a day where the weather is awful?” 

“I’ve just come back from the train station.”

No other words were needed to be said. The woman understood. She understood so much that she wrapped her arms around Y/N’s body and held her tightly. Even though it was awkward to begin with, having a stranger hugging her, Y/N fell into the hug and let herself close her eyes and enjoy it. The lady reminded her so much of her nan who had passed away a few years before and it made her smile faintly. Thelma had been the greatest nan and had taught Y/N so many things. 

“I’m Hilda,” the woman said gently as she pulled away from Y/N, offering her a smile and a mint from her bag. 

When Y/N finally took the time to look at Hilda, she couldn’t help but smile in return. The woman had a smile that would be able to brighten anyone’s day. It was warm and inviting in a way that Y/N couldn’t quite put her finger on, and the air around them changed as soon as her lips had started to lift. Y/N felt like the near impossible was in fact possible, that Alex would be home and everything would be okay in the end. Simply being in the presence of the woman left Y/N feeling a little lighter, as though one of the weights that were sat on her shoulders had been removed. She could breathe a little easier and she felt at peace. 

“Y/N.” 

“I saw you walking through this park a few days ago with a lovely boy, didn’t I?” Y/N nodded, remembering the day perfectly. Alex had just told her that he was going to war and that he had to walk her home before it got too late. She’d been crying and no doubt looked an absolute mess to the poor woman who was sat with her. “You looked good together.” 

“Thank you. I love him a lot.” 

“He’ll be home, I know in my heart that he’ll be home.” 

Hilda was like a guardian angel. 

***

“George?” Alex asked in disbelief as he stared at the man before him in what could only be described as pure disgust. He didn’t know how he had managed to draw the short straw and not only have to say goodbye to the love of his life but to also get stuck with her dickhead of an ex-fiancé while on his way to fight in the war? A war that he shouldn’t have had to fight in the first place. 

The man whom had taken a seat across from Alex merely smirked, lifting his right shoulder up into a smug smirk that left Alex’s jaw tightly clenched. 

“Oh, so she still can’t stop talking about me? I should have known really, I was the best she’s ever had, mate.” George quipped back, trying his absolute best to appear smug and ahead of a game that no one else was even aware of. “Can’t say the same about her though…” 

Tommy glanced between the two men, not quite understanding what was happening before his eyes. 

“The only things she has ever said about you have been bad things,” Alex bit back in anger. He wasn’t a nasty person in the slightest, and he never had been, but George brought out a different side to him. “I don’t blame her either. But then again, I guess I should be thanking you for that because now I get to show her what it’s like to be treated by a _man_.” 

George opened his mouth as if he was going to respond, but then closed it again, standing up from his seat and sauntering away. Alex was left with his blood boiling and Tommy didn’t know where to look so he just kept his eyes on the window behind Alex’s head. It took Alex a little while to calm down and he rubbed his hands down his face a good few times as he took deep breaths and looked at the seat in front of him where George had been sitting for a couple of minutes too long. 

“How did you not just pummel him? I would have done it if I were you, mate.” Tommy sounded surprised as he spoke, not quite sure how Alex had managed to keep his cool around George for so long. 

“I’m not stooping down to his level. He’s not bloody worth it.” 

“You um…you know the guy?” Tommy questioned with furrowed brows and Alex only hummed in response, running his hands down his still aching thighs which made him smile the tiniest bit. He already missed Y/N. “How? If you don’t mind me asking.” 

Alex knew that Tommy was just trying to start a conversation and that he should be thankful for the kind gesture, but he just wanted to be alone for a while. He knew that he was going to find leaving Y/N behind hard, but he wasn’t quite expecting it to be as hard as it was. From being able to see her pretty much whenever he wanted to not knowing when he would see her next had taken a toll on him. His run in with her ex didn’t help matters either. The way her face dropped when she saw George sitting across from him was imprinted in his brain and he was annoyed because that’s the last time he saw her before the train started to move. 

“He’s umm…” Alex trailed off, tears threatening to fall from his tired eyes. “He’s Y/N’s ex-fiancé. I probably shouldn’t tell you this because it’s her story and not mine but he…he cheated on her with her best friend.” The words left a bitter taste in his mouth and he just wanted to go home and hold her. He would never understand how anyone could hurt someone that way, and especially Y/N. She was the sweetest, most loving woman he had ever met and she didn’t deserve to be treated that way. 

“Oh shit, I’m sorry to hear that. Y/N’s your fiancé, right?” Tommy questioned, remembering how Alex had referred to the girl in the white dress as his fiancé when George first sat down with them. 

Alex shook his head, letting a single tear fall but quickly wiping it away with the pad of his thumb before it reached the curve of his cheek. “No, I never got the chance to ask her.” 

The conversation-if he could even call it that-with George had been all Alex needed to realise that he would do absolutely everything in his power to get back to Y/N. He was willing to sacrifice whatever and whoever he needed to just as long as at the end of it all, he could get back on the train, go back to Lost Bay and ask Y/N to marry him. He wanted to spend the rest of his life with her but to do that…he needed to get home. No matter what it took, he would hold her in his arms again, he would kiss her again, and he would tell her that he loved her over and over again. He had to be with her for the rest of his life. 

It felt as though a switch had been flipped in Alex’s head and he instantly turned from the warm, loving man that everybody knew and loved to a colder, serious and overly motivated person that would make it known to not get in his way. He would do whatever it took to get home, even if that meant hurting people in the process. 

*** 

**November 12th, 1939 **

The train that had taken Alex out of Lost Bay had taken almost 18 hours to get to the station closest to the base in France for it had broken down not even two hours into the journey. A replacement train was sent out eventually but that took even longer to get to them than it should have done so by the time they arrived, everyone was tired, grumpy and hungry. Alex was extremely thankful that he hadn’t seen George again after he saw him at the beginning of the journey because he knew that the calm and collected persona he carried would be jeopardized. 

When the train finally pulled up in France, the men were separated into their infantries where they were then put into their squads and assigned an army vehicle which would take them to their respective base. Alex had been somewhat happy when he and Tommy were put into the same platoon, though groaned outwardly he heard George’s name being called out. They were stood by their vehicle when George strolled over to them, a large smirk prominent on his face and his hands clapping together once as he got closer. 

“Harrison,” he spoke complacently, straightening his uniform on his shoulders. 

“Gibson,” Tommy spoke instead of Alex, already feeling protective over the man he had met the day before. Even though they had spent the majority of the train ride in silence, they’d made some conversation and had become what any other person would call friends. 

Alex found himself shaking his head with a breathy chuckle as he watched Tommy. The boy was shorter than Alex (barely but still shorter) though he held his head a little higher to add that last inch to his height. His arms were crossed over his chest and he tilted his head to the side while puffing himself out to try and appear intimidating. Though it definitely wasn’t working. 

“Tommy, mate, just ignore him. He’s not worth it in the slightest.” Alex tugged at Tommy’s sleeve and climbed into the vehicle behind him, helping a few of the other guys up too. 

“Yeah, Atkins,” George spat with some venom to his voice, “I’m not worth it, am I, Harrison?” 

The way George spoke left Alex’s skin crawling and growing warmer. He discreetly clenched his jaw in hopes that it would stop him from making a comment that was unnecessary. He’d spoken to the boy twice and had already grown annoyed by him. Alex knew that he was going to have to try extra hard to keep himself calm whenever George was around. He didn’t respond to the comment. Instead, he sat himself down on one of the wooden benches and prepared himself for the last leg of the journey. 

At 5:30 in the morning, France wasn’t the warmest, and all of the men that were cramped in the van had huddled together as close as they could to try and preserve heat. It was near enough silent as they drove down the cobbled street, their bodies jolting into one another’s with each bump in the road. There were a few of the British troops who had been in France for a while roaming the streets and nodding their heads in greeting as the van drove past them. Alex had witnessed one of the soldiers peering through an open window of one of the light coloured houses and taking a piece of bread from the table that was clearly an arms reach away. It had his mouth watering, seeing the soft bread break apart. It looked like the perfect piece of bread, slightly crisp on the inside but as light and airy as feathers on the inside. 

Alex felt unsettled as they continued their journey, knowing that there was no way for him to know how long he would be there for and if he was ever going to make it home. Though, he was adamant that he would. He had to get back to Y/N. As the van rounded a corner, he pulled the letter that he had found in his pocket when he was still on the train out to read for what felt like the thousandth time. 

_My dearest Alex, it seems crazy to me that as I write you this letter, you are sleeping in another room. Well, I hope that you are sleeping. You have a rather big day tomorrow and you are going to need every last second of sleep that you can get for you don’t know when you’re going to have a full night again. I do hope that you get enough sleep while you are away as I know how grumpy you get when you haven’t slept much. _

_I also hope that you find this letter near the beginning of us being separated so that until I can write to you, you have something to read and remember me by. It is a rather strange feeling indeed, writing a letter to the future. Though I guess whenever you write a letter you are in fact writing to the future. Well, anyway, I hope you find this and remember all the good things we have experienced together so far. _

_Seven months doesn’t seem like nearly enough time to spend with someone before they have to leave for an undetermined length of time. And I know that you keep promising me that you will come back home but I can’t seem to help but be frightened that you won’t ever return home. No matter how much I try to tell myself that you will be back in my arms one day, dancing around the dining room to songs that were not written for a slow dance, it is hard to imagine when I have heard such bad things about the horrors of war. My intent is not to scare you so I won’t continue with that. _

_Though, there is something else I need to say which is rather hard because you might not feel the same way. If you don’t then of course I understand and we can pretend like this never happened but I would just kick myself if you never found out. _

_I love you. _

_From the very first time that I laid my eyes on you, when you were wearing a sweater vest and brown trousers and we sat and drank tea at the Azoff’s house, I had a feeling that you would play a huge role in my life. Though never in my wildest dreams could I have anticipated how big a part you were going to be play. Not a day goes by where I don’t wish that we could spend the day together and not a day goes by where I don’t wish that we could relive our first date all over again. Every day that I spend with you, I get those little butterflies that I felt when we first met and I believe in my heart that it is because I truly love you. _

_I am sad that you must leave, but I know that you are a strong and loyal man who will be the best soldier that the world has to offer. But I need you to try your best to look after yourself too. No matter how hard it is, try to stay fit and healthy. Fight for this country but fight for yourself too. Fight for your strength, fight for your heart, fight for us. Of course, it’s going to be difficult to make friends due to the circumstances in which you are meeting other men but don’t push people away if they try to talk to you. They will feel the same as you will, and you never know, having a friend might bring a little bit of normalcy into the situation. _

_I won’t bore you with any more of my writing partly because you should not have to suffer through it but also because it is getting late and I too need to get some sleep. Remember, you are amazing and I will be here waiting for you when you return home. _

_I love you, Alex Harrison._

_Yours ALWAYS, Peach x_

Since first finding the letter, Alex had read it countless times, each time folding it back into the envelope as neatly as he could and bringing it up to his lips to kiss softly. Y/N would never know just much of an impact her words had on Alex. He wasn’t fighting the war for his country. He was fighting the war for her, for their future together. Every time that he read the letter, the water stains that had been left from her tears left his eyes prickling with tears and his lips turned into a frown. 

All he wanted was five more minutes. Five minutes to tell her how much he loved her. Five minutes to tell her that everything was going to be okay. Though, what he didn’t realise was that he needed to hear those words himself. He had been telling everyone around him that things would be okay but he hadn’t once been told himself. He needed to be told that everything was going to be okay. 

“Alex?” Tommy pulled him out of his thoughts with a tug on his arm. “We’re here.” 

“Okay.” 

Alex stayed in the van until every other man had gotten off before he jumped down himself. He made sure to walk a few paces behind the others as they walked over the dirt to the place where they would be living for God knows how long. Most of the men there were starting to wake up from whatever sleep they had managed to get, and there already seemed to be a lot of camaraderie between then. Two men were in a corner laughing about something and eating food from their canisters while a couple of others were sat in complete silence. 

There were a few wooden doors scattered around them and Alex knew that he would find out where they led sooner or later. But when a man walked out of one of them, he couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing. The man was taller than he was and was of a slimmer build. His hair was starting to lighten and the crows feet by his eyes were deepening. When he saw Alex, he walked over to him with a growing smile, holding his hand out for the younger boy to shake. 

“Alex,” he spoke gently, still not understanding how it could be that the boy was stood before him. 

Alex shook his hand and his head at the same time. The man in front of him had taught him what it truly meant to be just that, a man. He had helped Alex out in times of need and had treated him like a son even when he didn’t have to. He had truly taken Alex under his wing and for that, Alex would be forever in his debt. 

“Jeff,” he whispered, body stuck in its spot for a fraction of a second longer before his arms flew out and around the older man. He pulled him in for a hug and squeezed him a little bit tighter when he felt Jeff reciprocating the gesture. It was a comforting hug, one that made Alex feel a little warmer inside and despite the seriousness of the situation they were in, it was definitely nice to have a familiar face around him. “It’s so good to see you, man.” 

“I could say the same to you! I have so many questions for you oh my. How’s Glenne and the boys? And your mum, is she doing okay? What about Y/N? What are you doing here? Why have you left everyone?” Jeff spoke so fast that Alex had a hard time keeping up with him, trying to remember all of the questions he had heard so that he could answer them. The rest of the men who had arrived with him had dispersed, even Tommy who had gone to talk to one of the others. 

“Everyone is good. I saw Glenne a couple of days ago and she says that she loves and misses you. The boys are their usual cheeky selves,” Alex and Jeff let out small chuckles at the same time, “but they definitely miss their daddy. They told me to give you a big hug from them. My mum is as good as she can be and I’m so worried about Y/N.” 

“How come?” Jeff asked quickly, knowing that Alex would bottle it in if he didn’t ask and that would be no good to anybody. After years of knowing the boy, he knew when Alex was hiding his true feelings and as much as Alex hated to admit it, he liked that Jeff cared enough to look out for him.

“The look on her face when I had to leave her. She was in fucking bits,” Jeff’s eyes widened at Alex’s use of language but he nodded his head anyway. “Obviously I’m devastated myself but I heard her…heard her tell my mum that it hurt so bad when I walked away. I just want to be with her but there was a shortage of men still so I had to come. Wasn’t really an option and I’m so angry because I never even got to ask her to bloody marry me.” 

“You were going to ask her to marry you?” Alex nodded, frown evident on his face as he stood. Jeff could tell by the way Alex continuously talked about the girl before he left that he was serious about their relationship but he hadn’t realised just how serious they were. “You’ll get to ask her when you’re home.” 

“If I ever get home.” 

“Don’t be like that, Alex. We’ve got to have faith or we’re all going to go bloody insane.” Alex shrugged and let out a loud exhale. He’d only just got there and he was going insane. “There’s also someone I want you to meet. He got here at the same time as me and your personalities match really well so I know that you’ll get on well together. Told me he’s got a son around your age but he moved away a good few years ago now and hasn’t seen the lad since. I feel bad for the guy, must suck not being able to see your son grow up.” 

Of course, Alex didn’t know what it was like to live a life not knowing one’s son but he knew all too well what it was like to grow up without a father for he hadn’t seen his own in almost ten years. He had often found himself wondering what his life would be like if his parents hadn’t have separated, or if his dad had bothered to keep in contact with him when he had moved. For years, Alex had been bitter that his father didn’t call him, or even write a simple letter expressing that he missed him, and it had grown into a blind hatred that he didn’t know how to get rid of. It wasn’t like he didn’t know where he lived, Florence had given him the address and a phone number. On numerous occasions he had spoken to Jeff about his (as he described), “Piece of shit, absent father,” and even considered Jeff to be the father figure in his life. 

Alex felt like he was living inside a horror movie when another man walked out of the same door that Jeff had less than five minutes before. He was taller than Alex, not by very much though, and he looked a hell of a lot more intimidating. His facial features were a little more sunken in than Alex’s were, and the wrinkles on his forehead showed that he was a frowner. His shoulders were just as broad as Alex’s and his eyes were just as green. A jade green that one could spend all day staring into. They were almost the spitting image of one another, apart from the facial hair that the older man had that covered the bottom half of his face. 

“Alexander?” 

“You-you two know one another?” Jeff asked shakily, glancing between the two men who stood glaring at one another. 

“Jeff, this is my son…Alexander.” Jeff took one last look at them both before his eyes widened. He couldn’t understand how he hadn’t put the pieces together sooner. Of course they were related. They had the same last name for one. But their stories were the same, just completely switched. Alex could see Jeff go through his thought process. He saw him go from shocked, to understanding, to realising and straight to regretting. Jeff had confided in Alex’s dad about Alex and what his father was like. 

Alex was in too much disbelief to respond to the men. After nine long years, his father stood in front of him in the same uniform that he had on, and was friends with the man in which Alex had considered a dad for years before. 

Magnus was just as shocked as his son. He was sure that after Alex and Florence moved away, that he would never see his son again. He was the first to admit that he was a lousy father who didn’t fight enough for a relationship with his son. Rather than calling him, or sending a letter, he let their relationship fizzle until there was nothing left. Alex had grown a lot since Magnus had last seen him. Not only was he taller, broader and older, he had the tiniest amounts of scruff growing on his face and his crows feet had gotten a little deeper too. Long gone was the lanky, unconfident boy that he was watched grow up. In his place stood a man, a man who he hadn’t helped shape. 

“It’s been a while, son.” Magnus spoke softly while Alex kept his gaze cold. How dare he call him son when he had been the worst father in Alex’s eyes? 

To say Alex was angry was the understatement of the century. He was fuming, chest rising and falling faster as his breathing increased and fists clenched by his sides, “Nine whole years.” 

***

**December 5th, 1939 **

“What if we put the tree up in this corner?” Florence asked, standing in the car corner of Alex’s living room and spinning around slowly with a smile. Y/N had made a passing comment about how it would be nice for Alex’s house to be decorated for Christmas even if it remained vacant for the month just so that it didn’t feel bare when everywhere else was decorated. And of course, Florence had jumped at the opportunity, seeing it incredibly absurd that his house wouldn’t have been drenched in the festive love that it deserved. Not to mention that it had become a tradition for Florence and Alex to decorate their houses together and bake tonnes of cookies that they pigged out on and regretted instantly…all while listening to Christmas music. 

“That would be nice, but what about…” Y/N trailed off as she spun on her heel to look back over the living room. She’d found a spot that she thought would look cute but couldn’t quite remember. Until she saw it. “Right there?” She asked as she pointed to the side of the fireplace. Florence nodded with the brightest smile before lifting the shell of the fake Christmas tree and walking it to it’s new home, setting it down and taking two steps back so that she was in line with Y/N. 

“Perfect.” 

The sweet voice of Bing Crosby played through the record player which was housed under the window as the two women hung what Florence had described as Alex’s favourite decorations. They were the same ones that he helped his grandfather hang when he was but a boy and Y/N found herself smiling at the thought of little Alex helping to decorate the tree. Florence had told her a couple of stories about the way her son would get stroppy if he didn’t get to put the star on top of the tree, or if he didn’t get to choose the first cookie once they were decorated and it left Y/N feeling warm inside. 

There was a batch of the same sweet sugar cookies that he and Florence would make on a cooling rack on the kitchen worktop and another batch in the oven. When the cookies that were already baked were cool enough, they were going to decorate them with various different colours or royal icing, and Y/N had found some cool hundreds and thousands in her cupboard at home so took them with her. 

Even though he wasn’t there with them, decorating the house and cookies, Y/N and Florence each found themselves feeling a little closer to the man who was miles away. Y/N hadn’t worried about him much that day which was a new feeling as she’d spent a month on edge praying that a telegram wouldn’t turn up at Florence’s door. She didn’t know what she would do if that happened. 

Shortly after Alex had arrived at the base, his commander had announced a lock down that had been put into place which meant that nothing could get in or out. This consequently meant that Alex hadn’t been able to send a letter to his beloved girlfriend, and at first he had been annoyed because all he wanted to do was send her a letter, but he quickly grew hurt. In his bag were a small stash of five letters that he was eager to send to Y/N and his mum. He had even given Magnus Florence’s address once more as he wanted to send her a letter. 

“There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you,” Florence started, taking a sip of her cooled tea. “You’ve never told me about how you felt when you first met Alex.” 

“What do you want to know?” Y/N asked, placing the light porcelain decoration she was holding on the mantle and turning to look at Florence. 

“When you first saw him, what did you think?” 

Y/N’s lips instantly turned up, her mind taking her back to the day in which she met Alex for the very first time. She could see him stood in front of her as though it was the day before. “That he was the most beautiful man that I had ever laid my eyes on,” she whispered, smiling to herself as she remembered how gorgeous he had looked, “I still do.” 

Her eyes landed on a photo frame that sat on the side table next to the sofa, a photo of Alex and herself inside of it. He looked so happy sat on the sofa in Richard and Matilda’s house, his smile so wide that it left his eyes narrowing a little. Though his dimples were out in full force, set deep within the soft skin of his cheek. Y/N could remember the day oh so vividly for it was the first photo she and Alex had as an official couple. They were both cuddled up and she had her legs draped over his thighs with her arms wrapped around his neck to pull him close. Her lips were pressed to his cheek and her eyes were closed.

“Oh, and that he’s a clumsy sod who almost dropped the casserole dish he had brought around for the boys,” she added quickly, watching as Florence’s eyes widened dramatically. 

“He almost dropped the casserole dish?” Florence squeaked as Y/N nodded her head furiously with her lips tucked between her teeth in hopes of suppressing the smile she so badly wanted to show. “That’s my absolute favourite and he knows that I would kill the boy if he were to break it!” 

“He tried to shake my hand and it very nearly slipped from his grip. Luckily he managed to save it though, and that’s when I finally invited him inside.” Y/N shook her head at the memory and allowed herself to immerse in it completely. She could remember every tiny detail perfectly, from the way his shoes sounded when they hit the hard wooden flooring of the Azoff’s hallway to the way that his trousers rubbed together at the thighs as he walked and echoed throughout the rooms they walked through. The memory calmed her but she was interrupted from her thoughts when Florence spoke up again. 

“You know, I never truly understood how it took the two of you so long to meet. You were there practically every day while Glenne and Jeff were working and then when they went on their date nights you were also there and Alex was there quite often.” 

“Yeah but most days if Jeff was working, Alex would be working. I still don’t understand it though.” Though she was–as she had admitted–confused as to how herself and Alex hadn’t met sooner, she was incredibly grateful for meeting him when she had. Things could have ended up so differently had they met any sooner. “I’m glad that I met him when I did because I was able to spend so much incredible time with him even though it was cut short. He’s a good man he is, your son.” 

Alex truly was the greatest man that Y/N had ever met besides her father. There wasn’t a single day that when by where she felt unsafe if she was around him. He knew how to make her feel secure and that nothing was going to happen when he was around. Not to mention that he made her feel like she was worth something. To Alex, Y/N was his equal no matter what and in his eyes, that’s the only way that it should have been. 

“I have always told myself that I am blessed to have a son like Alex. It took his father and myself so long to get pregnant and I was so close to calling it quits.” Y/N was shocked at Florence’s confession and she wasn’t quite sure why. Her own parents had struggled to conceive and had fallen with pregnant with Y/N in their late 30s. “I was at the end of my tether and then I found out I was pregnant with Alex. I’ve always called him my little angel.” 

“His nickname precedes him.” Y/N offered with a smile, holding her hand out for Florence to grab onto. “You are the luckiest of mums to have a son as beautiful as he is. Both inside and out.” 

Florence ran her thumb over Y/N’s knuckles and let out a gentle breath, trying not to get choked up. But as she stood in front of the woman who had nurtured her son in ways she never thought he would need, she found herself tearing up. Alex had never been interested in a long term relationship before Y/N, always stopping dating a girl a few weeks in and it had started to worry Florence. But everything was different with Y/N. With Y/N he was talking about dates weeks in advance, getting home after seeing her and gushing to Florence about her. He told her all about how she told the greatest stories, how smart she was and how he could truly see something with her. 

“Your mum is just as lucky, you know? To have a daughter so amazing as you she’s very lucky indeed.” Y/N stood quiet for a little while, not sure whether to respond as Florence looked like there was more she wanted to say. “Do you know how nervous he was before your first date?” 

Y/N could feel her heart grow in her chest, pumping faster as she grew a little nervous. She shook her head as she whispered a slow, “No.” 

“He was petrified, my lovely,” Florence expressed around a breathy laugh. “He must have paced the living room at least 100 times before he finally left asking me what on earth he should do. I vividly remember him saying ‘I don’t want to mess this up mum. Oh god I’m going to mess this up’ and it took me so long to get him to start calming down.” 

Even with the large grin that took over half of her face, Y/N felt a stray tear fall down her cheek. With the way that Alex had looked so prepared and calm on their date, she would never have been able to guess that he was a pile of nerves beforehand. She didn’t reply for a little while, wishing herself not to cry anymore. 

“I could tell from then that you two were good together,” Florence continued, giving Y/N a small smile. “I’d never met you but the way he gushed about you and the way he was so nervous told me everything I needed to know.” She walked up to Y/N and placed her hands on her cheeks, watching as the younger girls eyes fell closed and she sniffled once. “I’ve seen him date before but no one else has ever compared to the way he feels about you.” 

“I love him, Florence,” Y/N uttered gently as she opened her eyes again, swallowing the lump in her throat after. 

“I know you do, angel. He loves you too, and he’s loved you for a while now.”

“I remember when I truly came to understand that I was in love with him.” Florence stepped back next to the oven and turned it off, pulling the tray of cookies out and letting them sit on the worktop to cool. The whole room smelled of them and it was comforting them both. 

“You do?” 

Y/N nodded. “It was the first time that he had come to my house for tea and he’d asked me if I’d like to go steady with him,” she smiled at the memory, taking a deep breath before continuing to speak. “He was walking down the path to go back home and his shoes were just tapping on the ground. It sounds so stupid now but my heart starting beating with each step he took and everything else kinda disappeared from around us. I could only focus on him and I wanted to cry even though he was only going back to his house.” 

“Thank you, honestly. I am so thankful that you are in his life and have shown him that love does exist still. For years I’ve been worried that he was going to let everything that happened between his father and I affect him but then you came along.” 

Y/N pulled Florence in for a hug and held her tightly. The two women stayed in one another’s arms for a little while before Florence started to pull away, wiping under her eyes quickly and smiling at Y/N. “Come on, we should decorate these cookies.”

*** 

“Oh he was such a cute baby!” Y/N gushed as she pointed to a particular photo in the brown, leather-bound photo album that Florence had pulled from the attic when she got the last few decorations down. The photo that had immediately caught her attention was a photo of Alex in a pair of brown shorts with braces the same colour and a white shirt that had a trim around the collar in the same brown as the shorts. He wore a pair of white socks and had adorable little shoes on his feet. Y/N thought he looked positively adorable and she made that very clear. 

“He really was! I don’t know what happened to him,” Florence joked, receiving a cackle from Y/N. They were both so grateful that they were able to joke with one another even in a time where everything appeared scarier than normal. “There’s so many photos in here that I forgot we’d taken. Like this one!” She pointed to another picture and Y/N’s bottom lip instantly stuck out in a soft pout. Alex was sat atop of a lacy sheet completely naked with a little brown bear in his hands. The bear looked familiar but Y/N couldn’t quite put her finger on it. 

“If he knew that you were showing me these he would flip,” Y/N laughed, already able to imagine the look on Alex’s face if he saw them. “But he isn’t here so show me more!” 

Florence chuckled as Y/N slapped her hands together, leaning further forward so that she could look at the photos that were in front of her. The photos showed the progression of Alex’s life. They showed him going from a tiny baby to a young boy, to a teenager, and right at the back of the photo album sat the photo of him and Y/N that was framed in the room. 

“I didn’t know he’d put this one in here,” Florence whispered, stroking the photo ever so gently with a sad smile on her face. 

“I didn’t know he had more than one copy of it.” Y/N took a deep breath, feeling her eyes prick with tears. 

They spent a little while longer looking at the various photos of a young Alex, all while nibbling on the cookies that they had decorated and sipping at the tea that they had made. It was a nice contrast to Y/N’s usual days of working and then going home and being sad because she missed her boyfriend. Being with Florence left her feeling warm inside and yes, she was on edge because she hadn’t yet heard anything from Alex, but being with his mum helped.

By four o’clock, Florence was heading back off to her house as she had guests that evening and Y/N was having one last little clean of the house before she watered the plants and headed back to her own house for tea with her parents. She boxed the cookies that had been baked and placed them in the fridge until Florence went back the next day, and she turned off the various Christmas lights that had been turned on. 

The house grew quieter than ever when she was left on her own, the day she’d had almost feeling like it had never happened. There wasn’t any music playing from the corner of the room like there had been all day, there wasn’t the smell of freshly baked cookies surrounding her and there wasn’t the company of someone else. It was when she left on her own that she really started to miss Alex again. It was the first Christmas that they would have spent together but he wasn’t with her. She didn’t know _where_ he was, or if he was okay. 

Before Y/N herself left the house, she nipped up into Alex’s bedroom, deciding that she wanted to borrow one of his t-shirts to take home with her. She’d barely slept each night since he had left because he wasn’t next to her. Even having only shared a bed once, it was enough to spoil her and to have her wanting to sleep next to him every night. Her bed was cold without him there, and her spare pillow didn’t compare to the way he felt. 

Opening the second draw down of his dresser, she pulled one of his plain black t-shirts out and smiled at the feel of it. It was soft to the touch, softer than anything she’d ever felt before, and she was excited to get home and put it on. 

*** 

Walking through the front door of her home, Y/N kicked off her shoes and walked straight through to the dining room where she knew her tea would be waiting for her. She draped the top she had taken from Alex’s over the back of her chair before walking to her father and kissing him on the cheek. 

“How was your day, angel?” 

“It was good thank you. Florence was showing me baby pictures of Alex and we baked cookies. We even had Bing Crosby on all day while we decorated and it’s just been so amazing,” Y/N gushed, a smile taking over her face. 

Richard was smiling at his daughter, happy that she was finally giving him a genuine smile. For a month, every time that she smiled, he could tell it had been forced. When Matilda walked through the door and saw her daughter’s cheeks slightly pinker than normal and the smile she was adorning, she did a double take before smiling herself. 

“You look happy.” 

“I am. Really happy.” Y/N sat down at the table and sipped at the glass of water that was already poured for her, smiling to herself and sighing in content. 

***

**December 12th, 1939**

“Wha-,” Y/N breathed anxiously as she opened the cupboard of the bathroom that held her sanitary products. Everything that was sitting there was unopened and completely full, not what she was expecting in the slightest. The longer she spent looking at the products, the more things started to sink in. It was December and as she thought about it, she remembered that she hadn’t had a period since October…and she’d slept with Alex before he left…three times. 

Her face drained of all colour and her breathing picked up. Panic was setting in and she had no idea what to do. Sex before marriage was majorly frowned upon but carrying a child out of wedlock, when the father wasn’t home to marry? That would surely be the talk of the town for years. Y/N worried that her parents would judge her if she went to them about her predicament, so she didn’t tell them. She needed to tell someone that she trusted, and someone that knew what had happened between her and Alex. 

She needed to tell Florence. 

Even though she hadn’t said it out loud, Y/N knew that Florence was aware of the shenanigans that occurred before he left. It was obvious with the way she gave Y/N her scarf to cover the hickey on her neck, and with the way that Alex’s hand sat a little lower on her back when they were hugging. Plus, she wasn’t stupid. 

Y/N hurried down the stairs, taking her coat and scarf from the coat rack and slipping her shoes onto her feet. 

“Mum! I’m heading over to Alex’s house for a little while. I’ll have dinner there too.” Before her mother could respond to her, she was flying out of the door and down the garden path. Her heels hurt her feet instantly and the cold was sharp against her cheeks. The streets were just as empty as they had been the day that Alex left, and it left her feeling unnerved. 

It was still quite early, Y/N having woken up at 7:30 as the sun had slowly started it’s ascent in the sky. She had eaten a warm breakfast of eggs on toast with her parents before Richard made his way to work. That’s when she had gone upstairs to check if she needed to buy any sanitary products, which it would appear that she didn’t. Y/N would have talked to her mum about the worry she was feeling, though she was scared that Matilda would be disappointed in her for having sex before she was married…again. 

The walk to Alex’s didn’t take too long, but she had been battling against the wind that was whistling throughout Lost Bay almost the entire way. Rather than skipping through the park which didn’t have enough trees to break the wind, she took the scenic route. The wind was still bitterly sharp against her legs but it was bearable. Her hands were stuffed into the pockets of her black coat as she walked. Well, it was more like a stumble with the way the balls of her feet burned from her shoes. 

She let out an audible sigh when she turned onto Alex’s street, his house visible a little ways up. Her feet sped up on their walk until she was close enough to touch the wall that blocked the front garden from the street. The gravel crunched under her feet as she walked toward the doors and when she pulled the key out of her pocket, she could tell how much her hands were shaking. 

Her coat was still wrapped around her body as she picked up the phone to call Florence though she kicked her shoes off instantly. 

“Hello?” 

“Hi, Florence. It’s Y/N.” Her breathing picked up as she awaited her reply. 

“Oh hello dear! I did wonder who could possibly me calling me. Is everything okay?” 

“Yeah. Well, umm-” Y/N’s words got stuck in her throat. How was she meant to say this out loud? “I’m late.” 

“You’re late?” 

“I haven’t come on my period. October was the last month and Alex and I…” Her voice trailed off, not wanting to utter the words out loud even though it was obvious. “I’m so worried. I came to Alex’s because I don’t want to worry my parents but I needed to tell someone. I’m so sor-” 

“I’ll be there shortly.” 

Florence hung up and Y/N stayed with the phone pressed to her ear for a little longer, not knowing what to do with herself. When she did eventually put the phone back on the cradle, she let her coat fall from her shoulders and she walked through to the kitchen where she put some water to boil on the hob and prepped a cup for some tea. While she waited for the water to boil, she walked through to the living room and lifted the photo frame that she loved dearly from its place and held it to her chest. 

“I love you,” she whispered into the air, wishing that he were there to hear her, and hold her while telling her that everything was going to be okay. Standing in his kitchen in front of the oven took her back to the night before Alex left for war. She was transported back to him singing to her while they danced around the room. Her feet started to move from side to side, her hips swayed as she moved. The photo frame was held a little closer to her chest as she started to hum Five Minutes More to herself. 

She danced by herself until the water had boiled and she could pour it over her tea bag. When she had let it brew for a little while, she removed the tea bag and sauntered into the living room where she got herself curled up on the sofa. Her tea was placed on the table in front of her as she held the photo a little away from her so she could see it clearly. She was smiling in the picture, a smile that she hadn’t seen on herself since before he told her that he was leaving. It was a smile that she missed, and wished that it would return when Alex did. If he did. Lifting her index and middle finger to her lips, she kissed them before placing them over Alex in the photo, letting a single tear roll down her cheek. 

It wasn’t much later when Florence arrived at her son’s house. When she did, she simply took one look at Y/N and knew instantly how she was feeling. The young girl was curled up on the sofa next to the fireplace with tears streaming down her face and the photo still held against her chest. She was shaking aggressively and Florence practically ran over to her and engulfed her in a hug, rocking her from side to side gently. It was worse than she had first thought. 

“Come on now, Poppet. There’s no need to cry,” she whispered into Y/N’s hair. “It’ll all be okay.” 

Y/N was hiccuping from her sobs but she took a deep breath and attempted to speak, “What am I going to do, Florence? I can’t be…pregnant.” Y/N’s breathing was still heavy and it was as though she couldn’t take any more than a one second breath of oxygen into her lungs at once. 

“We’ll figure it out. And you’ve got so many people around you who love you and will support you. Myself included.” 

“I just wish that Alex was here. I could be pregnant and he doesn’t even know. I can’t have my baby growing up without a father. And I can’t walk into a doctor’s office and just request a pregnancy test without being the talk of the town for months before I’m not married and-” Y/N was rambling but she cut herself off. “This isn’t how it was supposed to go.” 

“Sometimes things happen in a way that isn’t the custom but that’s what is meant to happen. As of right now, we don’t know that you are even pregnant.” She knew that Y/N was scared and she completely understood why but the more worked up Y/N got, the worse she was going to feel in the long run. “As far as not wanting to go into the doctor’s surgery…I have a friend who is a nurse and if I called her, she would be more than willing to come and do one here in private. No one else has to know and she won’t say anything, I promise.” 

Y/N looked up at her boyfriend’s mum, sniffing loudly and trying to wipe at the tears that were lining her cheeks. When she had gotten herself comfortable on the sofa, the reality that Alex wasn’t there with her sank in. If she was pregnant, how was she going to tell him? She hadn’t heard from him since he left, and there was no telling if she would again. He might have lived the rest of his life not knowing his child and that wouldn’t be fair to him. She was more than just scared, she was ultimately petrified. 

“You’d, you’d really do that for me?” Florence nodded with a small smile, resting her hand on Y/N’s knee gently. “That would be amazing, thank you.” 

“I’ll go and call her right now. Do you think you’ll be okay while I do it?” Florence was worried for Y/N’s sake. She’d never witnessed someone so upset that they looked physically ill. There was no colour to Y/N’s face as she sat on the sofa and her eyes were trained on the woman who was helping her so much. 

“Of course,” she said softly, nodding her head and pushing herself back into the corner of the sofa as much as she could. “I’ll be okay.” 

*** 

The two women spent the few hours that they were waiting for Florence’s friend cleaning up and chatting about their weeks. As the day went on, Y/N felt a little more content with the possibility of having a child for even if she was to never see Alex again, she would have a piece of him with her wherever she went. That didn’t mean that she would be ecstatic to be pregnant. She wished that she was married before she had children, and that her husband would be there with her through it all. 

A group of children had knocked on the door a little after four pm when the only light outside was from the moon that hung high in the sky, and a few scattered streetlights, singing Christmas carols for Y/N who had answered the door. They brought a smile to her face and made her heart swell so she found a little bit of loose change from her bag and dropped it into the bucket they were carrying between them. 

“Merry Christmas, miss,” the youngest one said cheerily, smiling wide at Y/N before turning and walking away. 

“Merry Christmas,” she replied, stepping back into the house and toward the living room once more. 

The following time someone knocked at the door, Florence stood up to answer it, telling Y/N to stay comfortable on the sofa with her cup of tea. When she returned a couple of minutes later, a woman around her age with light blonde hair and deep brown eyes walked through the door as well. 

“Anabel, this is Alex’s wonderful girlfriend, Y/N. Y/N, this is my friend, Anabel.” Y/N stood from her space on the sofa and shook the woman’s hand, feeling her nerves kick in once more. “She’s just a little worried because Alex isn’t here and they aren’t married.” 

“There’s nothing to be afraid of, my lovely. Lots of people who come into the surgery are unmarried so I know that it’s daunting. All I’m going to do is have you urinate into a cup for me so that I can go and get it tested. You’ll get the results within the week and hopefully it will give you a little piece of mind.” 

Anabel’s words managed to calm Y/N down a little bit, though she had thought she would receive the results there and then. But alas, she would have to worry about them for up to a week which wasn’t ideal. 

“And you’re sure that no one else is going to find out about this?” Y/N asked shakily, sitting on the sofa as Florence and Anabel sat themselves down. 

“Unless you decide to tell someone, no one else is going to know about this, I assure you. Anything you say while I am here is strictly confidential and I will not discuss it with anyone else.” 

“Okay, thank you. Where am I weeing, again?” 

***

**December 17th, 1939 **

When Franklin and Minerva had first invited Richard and his family around for tea, Y/N had been somewhat sceptical. It had been a whole month since Alex had left for war and only five days since she had taken the pregnancy test (which she was still to get the results for) so she was still extremely emotional. The thought of having to socialise with anyone made her roll her eyes, but knowing that it was one of her father’s work colleagues made her stomach churn more than it had at the thought of potentially being pregnant. 

“Do I have to come with you both?” She had asked her parents one last time as she pulled her coat around her body slowly, hoping that Richard would take pity on her and allow her to stay home and wallow in her sadness for yet another night. She would be able to count on one hand the amount of days that she didn’t feel rubbish since he’d left. 

“Goose, we’ve been over this,” Matilda spoke firmly. “You can’t stay cooped up in the house all the time. Plus, Franklin and Minerva have so kindly offered to have us over for tea and it’s only fair that we go. Not to mention that it’s your father’s boss’ house.” 

“But mum-” 

“Y/N, your mother is right,” Richard started, earning a groan from Y/N who looked as though she was finally giving in. “Franklin and Minerva are lovely people and they’ve been so gracious as to offer us an invite.” 

“Dad, you know as well as I do that Frankie is going to be giving me the eyes all night and I am not in the mood for it. He can’t seem to take no as a bloody answer…ever!” Y/N huffed as her father merely raised his eyebrows at her. She knew she was in a losing battle but she had to try. Her lungs expanded to full capacity as she took a deep breath, stepping out of the house before her parents and making her way to the bottom of the path. 

“We won’t be there too late, darling,” Matilda tried to offer and Y/N merely shook her head, her lips having been pulled into her teeth. She couldn’t wait to get home, put on her pyjamas and climb into bed where she would be free to cry herself to sleep without having anyone pity her. 

It wasn’t a long walk to Franklin and Minerva’s house, a mere twenty minutes, but it felt like a lifetime. Y/N had no idea where she was actually walking but she felt her heart sink when they rounded onto Alex’s street. She could see his house in the distance, sat proudly as the only house with shrubbery in the front garden. 

“Oh Richard, would you just look at that house up there,” Matilda gushed to her husband, tightening her grip on his arm as they walked. “Isn’t it just magnificent? The way the owners have put those shrubs up! We should do something like that.” 

It was then that she realised her parents had never seen his house before so they wouldn’t have known that Alex owned it. It wasn’t that she didn’t want them to see it, it’s just that there was never a reason for them to be there. 

“Owner,” Y/N uttered, not missing the way her mum turned to her with furrowed brows. “That’s Alex’s house.” 

Matilda’s lips opened as if she were going to reply but then they closed again. She didn’t know how to respond to her daughter in worry of hurting her more at the talks of Alex. 

“Actually,” Y/N added, “could I possibly run in before we continue walking to Franklin and Minerva’s? I left something there last week and could really do with getting it back.” 

“Darling can it not-” 

“I really need it, dad.” Richard nodded to his daughter, not wanting to get her any more worked up than she was already getting. He and Matilda held back as their daughter sauntered up the driveway of one of the nicest houses on the street, looking at each other with sad smiles. “I’ll be two minutes,” Y/N called as she grabbed the spare key from the plant pot and let herself into the house. 

Florence had been there and she could tell. The floors were vacuumed and there were fresh flowers in the vase that sat on the small entry table. Y/N took a second to just stand in the hallway, the remnants of Alex still there but not quite. Standing there without him, and without Florence anywhere near, it felt like a ghost town…as though no one had inhabited the house in years. There was the faintest smell of Alex engulfing her and her eyes started to prickle at the thought of him not being there. 

Truth was, she’d not forgotten anything at all, but she wanted to be around him in any way that she could. Sat on her desk at home was a small pile of letters that she had already written, stamped and sealed with a kiss. But she couldn’t send them. She didn’t know an address to send them to and it was infuriating her. 

When she turned to leave the house, she spotted the scarf that Alex had worn a couple of times before he left sitting on the coat rack so gently. She picked it up instantly and pulled it up to her nose, taking a deep breath and smiling when she could smell Alex on it. It smelt so strongly of Alex that her head immediately took her to the last night she was with him before he left. The scent alone took her back to his bed where she was cuddled into his side tightly. 

After locking the front door behind her when she left the house, she shoved the spare key into her pocket knowing that Florence herself had a key that she could use to get into the house and that she wouldn’t worry if it were to have gone missing because Y/N was the only other person who knew where it was stashed. 

“Everything sorted?” Y/N nodded at her mum’s question before following them down the street again. She took one last look at Alex’s house before pulling the scarf tighter around her neck and allowing the corners of her mouth to turn into a small smile. 

*** 

“Richard!” Franklin all but shouted when he opened his front door. Y/N stood a little bit behind her parents, not wanting to have to go inside for as long as possible. “How’ve you been?” He asked as he took Richard into an embrace, patting him on the back a few times as he did. 

“I’ve been good thank you, Franklin.” 

“And, the ever so beautiful Matilda,” he guffawed, pulling her in for a tight hug and kissing her on the cheek. 

Y/N’s heart rate increased as she stood watching the happenings before her. One of the reasons she hated visiting the Morris family was how overly touchy they were. They would hug you when you first entered their house and would always brush their arm over their guests when they walked past. Y/N detested the constant touching and often found herself growing agitated when she was there. The only person she ever wanted to place their hand on her arm other than her parents was Alex. But he wasn’t there and she had no idea when he would next be with her. 

As Franklin pulled away from her mum, he looked at her with the largest of grins, beckoning her over. She didn’t want to be rude so she walked closer to him, allowing him to wrap his arms around her but she didn’t hug him back. 

“Y/N, you’ve grown so much since I last saw you, how have you been?” Terrible. 

“I’ve been good, thank you.” Her response was short, and even though both of her parents knew why she was slightly cold, Franklin had no idea. 

“Put a smile on your face! If you keep frowning your face will set that way.” Of course, Franklin hadn’t meant the comment to mean any harm but when Richard saw the tears forming in his daughter’s eyes, he didn’t quite know what to do. He couldn’t very well ignore the comment because his daughter was getting upset, but he couldn’t speak up because Franklin was his boss. 

“Oh, Franklin. Don’t keep our guests outside in the cold for heaven’s sake!” Minerva appeared in the doorway wearing a delicate blue dress with white capped sleeves. It reminded Y/N so much of her nightdress and how Alex had looked at her when he saw her in it. The blue was almost the exact same shade and she could feel her heart twisting in her chest so tightly that she was struggling to breathe. “Please, please come in you three. Dinner is almost ready.” 

Richard was the first person to walk into the house behind Franklin, and Matilda took the opportunity to turn to her daughter to see if she was okay. All Y/N could muster, however, was a short shrug and a frown. She didn’t care if her face froze like that, she was sad and she didn’t care who knew. 

After a rather awkward hug with Minerva, Y/N retreated to the dining room with her parents, taking a seat next to her father and annoyingly, across from Frankie. When Frankie had walked into the room, he walked straight to Y/N and hugged her close to his body, placing his hands on the bottom of her back and swaying her gently. She felt uncomfortable to start and then she just stopped dead in his arms. It burnt her nostrils, the smell that had brought her great comfort for three weeks suddenly made her feel woozy. 

She knew that the spray was popular among men, but it smelled so wrong on Frankie. When Alex wore it, the spray smelt like man. It was a strong scent without being in your face. When he wore the spray, it felt like home. But it smelled so different on Frankie. It smelt like boy. A boy who had doused himself in the spray to try and appear cool with the ladies. But it was repelling Y/N more than she was before. He’d tainted her comfort.

*** 

Franklin and Minerva had money, and they weren’t afraid to show it off. So when a maid brought out their cottage pie, Y/N tried her best not to roll her eyes. The dining room in which they were seated was beyond gorgeous, with high ceilings and a large chandelier in the centre of the room which hung down quite low. Richard had knocked his head on it once when she was younger and Minerva almost had a heart attack. Y/N let out a small, breathy laugh at the memory and clearly hadn’t seen Frankie watching her intently. 

“Ahh she does have a smile after all,” he spoke up so the whole table could hear, and Y/N felt every single pair of eyes on her. The smile that was once on her face quickly dissipated and she fell back into a frown. “You should smile more, you’ve got the most beautiful smile in the world.” 

“Thanks, I guess,” she muttered in reply, not wanting to entertain the younger boy. Franklin Jr–or Frankie as he was more commonly known–was two years Y/N’s younger but made his infatuation with her widely known whenever people were around. He would always insist on hugging her when he saw her and his hands would sit rather low on her back, not to mention the fact that he would hold her for a little longer than what was considered acceptable. 

Whenever Y/N was around him, she could feel his eyes on her, moving up her entire body and leaving her shuddering in discomfort. She felt weirded out whenever she was around him but with Franklin Senior being her father’s boss, there was very little she could do. On numerous occasions she had shot down his offer of a date but he continued to ask her and it was starting to grow old, and annoying. 

“Oh don’t be so modest, Y/N. Your smile is wonderful, truly lights up the whole room,” Franklin added and Y/N could feel her father’s eyes on her. With a single look, he was apologising for making her go with them and she gave him the tiniest of smiles in return. “Whoever you end up with will be lucky to have you.” 

“Alex is lucky,” Matilda started, glancing at her daughter who sat diagonal to her. “They’ve been together for a little under a year and are truly a match made in heaven.” 

Y/N knew that her mum was just trying to help, and she was beyond grateful, but hearing her talk about Alex tore her apart. She could feel her heart rip in her chest. It was clear with the looks the Morris’ were giving that she was going to have to explain who Alex was and that’s the last thing she wanted to do. She just wanted to be in his arms. 

“Alex? I never knew you were dating, Y/N.” Minerva almost whispered. Out of the three, she was always the sweetest, and knew when not to pry too far into someone’s business. Though that didn’t mean that she didn’t. 

“Yeah, I met him eight months ago and we’ve been officially together since June.” 

“Oh, that’s just wonderful! You should have brought him with you. There’s always room at the table.” 

“Um,” Y/N said gently, voice starting to shake a little, “he’s fighting.” 

Pure dread washed over Minerva’s face at the comment, but all Y/N could focus on was the sinking feeling in her stomach. That was the first time she’d said those two words since he left and she felt like she was going to be sick. The food in front of her became unappealing and she wanted the ground to swallow her up. 

“I’m so sorry,” Minerva whispered behind the hand that had flown to her mouth at Y/N’s admission. “I shouldn’t have-” 

“It’s fine.” 

*** 

Y/N was so thankful to her father when he had all but smacked his right thigh and muttered a, “Right, we should probably be heading off before it gets too late.” 

She hurried into the hallway to grab her coat, throwing it around her shoulders and wrapping the scarf around herself even quicker. Even just being in the vicinity of it made her feel better, as though Alex was with her. As she took a deep breath and allowed the scent of him to fill her entire head, she felt at ease. She wanted to shove the scarf in Frankie’s face and tell him that “That’s how the cologne smells on a man” but she didn’t. Instead, she continued to let the smell cloud her mind. 

It was like the universe wanted Y/N to be anywhere but in her bed thinking about Alex because just as Franklin had gone to open the front door, the dreaded air raid siren rang throughout the town. Minerva instantly grabbed her coat and ushered everyone through the house and toward the back garden where there bunker sat. Y/N was confused as to how a family who had so much money would have such a small bunker. The six people hardly fit into it and were almost sat on top of one another. 

As Frankie sat down, his hand brushed down Y/N’s back and accidentally against her bum. She tried her best to stay calm but it was like every memory she had of Alex had been violated since she got to the Morris household. Nothing had been done on purpose, obviously, but it affected her really badly. From Franklin telling her that her face would set into a frown if she didn’t smile, to Minerva wearing a dress very similar to the one she had worn when she was last with Alex, to Franklin smelling so strongly of Alex’s spray and the way he accidentally brushed her bum. The only person to ever touch her bum apart from herself while she was cleaning her body or smoothing her dress out was Alex.

The tiniest of brushes made her forget what it was like to have Alex’s hands on her. Each day that passed took another one of her memories of him away. She was starting to forget what he felt like when she hugged him, and what he sounded like. The only word that she could vividly hear him saying was peach and it physically pained her. 

She couldn’t stay in the small confines of the bunker. Not when she had no idea how long she would be there for. She felt sick after a few minutes and she needed to be somewhere that she felt comfortable. 

“Y/N!” Minerva screeched as Y/N stood up from her space and ran out of the bunker. 

Richard and Matilda stayed in their seats, knowing exactly where their daughter had run off to. 

“Where’s she run off to?” Franklin asked with worry, not understanding how her parents were still sat down when their daughter had left the bunker during an air raid. 

“To her fiancé’s house just down the road. She’ll be okay.” Richard offered in response, seeing a tear fall down Matilda’s cheek. Of course, he was scared for his daughter as he had no idea what was going on outside, but he trusted that she would be okay and would let them know what had happened when she got home that evening. 

*** 

When she got to his bedroom, Y/N turned on the radio that sat on Alex’s dresser before climbing under his duvet and letting _him _envelope her. She didn’t pay attention to the radio as she let the tears fall, dampening the pillow under her head. It wasn’t safe, she knew it wasn’t safe, but she had to be there. She had to be wrapped in his duvet where she could attempt to imagine that he was with her. It was the first time she’d been in his bed since he’d left for war, and she felt the same peace as she had the first time. She allowed herself to fully submerge herself in the warmth of Alex and her eyes started to fall closed with the sound of the radio filling the room. 

A couple of hours later, Y/N woke up and rubbed at her eyes, pulling the duvet further up her body to try and keep herself warm. Alex’s bedroom was cold and the dress that she had fallen asleep in wasn’t doing a very good job at keeping her protected from the icy feel of the room. She stood from the bed, opting to find a pair of joggers and a jumper from Alex’s drawers to keep her warm. 

His drawers were organised well, his underwear in the top one, his tops in the one below and his joggers in the third one. Almost instantly she found the burgundy jumper that she wanted to wear, pulling it from its place and bringing it to her face to snuggle into quickly. 

A black box fell from between the folds of the jumper and landed on the floor by her feet with a thud. Y/N looked down and felt her heart stop for a small second. She knew what kind of box it was, how could she not? Her mother had one almost identical on her dresser at home. Alex had tried his best to hide it, and the only other person beside himself that knew of its whereabouts was Florence who had sworn she wouldn’t say anything. 

Y/N picked up the box with great care, no longer minding the cold of the room as she fought with herself whether to open it or not. But her worst nightmare came as she decided to open it, curious as to what was inside. 

_“We have a confirmed death of 17 of our men and the numbers are quickly rising. Many more have been injured but as of yet, we have no names. We will keep you updated as we hear from the base.” _


End file.
